Is Forever Possible?
by RGoodfellow64
Summary: Chapter 28. Life goes on and Kate discovers magic is real.
1. Chapter 1, Friday Afteroon

Is Forever Possible? by RGoodfellow64

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle, Rick or Kate or anything associated with the show. That's all for ABC...

Kate sat on her couch, wondering how she even got home. The events of today swirling in her head. 'My God, that was so...' she didn't even know how to describe it.

These past weeks since she ended things with Josh, Castle had been a little quieter, less himself, not listening or aware of what was happening. Esposito even had to ask him three times if he had anything to say about that last, weird case they just finished. Something was going on but she didn't know what, and it bothered her, more than she would admit, to see him like that.

Looking out the corner of her eye she'd ask, "Are you OK?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, just thinking." Always the same answer.

Then this afternoon, he never looked at her finishing the paperwork, just stared straight ahead till he suddenly asked if he could talk to her in private.

"Sure. Right now?" He nodded yes.

"Ok."

Something was about to happen and she was afraid he was leaving again. Her heart beat faster and her stomach fell as he followed her into the meeting room and closed the door. As she sat down, he seemed nervous, running his hands through his hair with small, jerky motions. His eyes were wide and he looked scared.

"Beck... Kate. I have something I want to say, something I need to say and I don't quite know how, so please, don't say anything, just listen. OK?"

She nodded with growing uncertainty and he continued.

"When I was growing up I had nannies, the occasional man was around with Mother, and I decided that would never be the life I would live. I wanted substance; I wanted someone whom I could trust with every aspect of my life and who would trust me with hers, I wanted... forever. When I met Kyra I thought she was it, but then she left, telling me not to follow, and I found out what a broken heart is."

Kate sat mesmerized as the words just poured out of his mouth. 'I have never seen him like this before' she thought.

"She never got in touch with me; it was as if nothing had ever happened between us. That made the hurt seem worse and any healing all but impossible. When you told me about Demming, I realized I did the same thing to you, and I am so ashamed and sorry."

She started to say something but he quickly interrupted.

"No, please, don't say anything, let me finish. At any rate, as my books sold more and I became more well known, no one I met seemed real, or wanted real, they all wanted Rick Castle the author. So I gave them what they wanted.

I knew from the beginning that Meredith wasn't long term, but she was pregnant and I was both frightened and exhilarated knowing I was going to be a father."

A soft, smile briefly appeared on his face. That endearing one she so loved to see.

"After Alexis was born, she became the focus of my life. I luxuriated in the feelings that being with her brought. Meredith left and I thought that Alexis should have a more normal life than a single playboy father. Gina was focused and good in business, and I thought she would be good for us both, but that's pretty much all it was between us, business. I never really felt comfortable letting her get close to Alexis. And soon it was just the two of us again. Outside of Alexis, nothing was real, just phony, so I continued to give people what they wanted, and before long that's who I was."

He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Then I met you."

Those last words were so intense she had to lower her eyes. She thought, 'This is like a flood, a torrent, like a dam burst and he can't stop.' She quickly refocused on his words, spoken with an intensity, and emotion she had never seen in him before.

"I haven't been real in a long time Kate, and it's hard; but I'm finding it easier more and more to be just me, the more I'm with you. You've brought out the real in me, and I thought I lost it so long ago.

You are the best friend I have ever had. I trust you more than anyone or anything, especially with the most precious thing in my life, Alexis. You are a wonderful friend, a great friend and partner, and I don't want to ruin what we have but I can't... I want... I... hell, as a writer I'm doing a lousy job here... "

He slowed down, taking another ragged breath.

"I have never felt anything like this before in my life. Kate, what I had with Kyra pales compared to the happiness, the sense of completeness I have when I'm with you."

She raised her head and her eyes widened as he continued to speak.

"I know I am taking a huge risk here, but the strongest relationships have their foundation in honest friendships, and even though I may jeopardize that with what I want to say, I can't...I can't keep holding it inside. Kate, I cannot imagine forever without you there. I have never met anyone before who is as amazing as you. I called you extraordinary, but that word doesn't begin to describe what I feel for you. "

Her heart was pounding so loud she could hardly hear his words any more. Her own breathing became ragged as he continued speaking with a passion she had only experienced when reading his books.

"Right now there is nothing as important to me as this. You once told me that you're looking for a 'one and done'. For a long time I gave up on forever. When I look at you, hell, every time I think or dream of you, I feel that forever is possible again."

His blue eyes bored into hers as he spoke softly.

"Kate, I want to see if we can be that for each other, I really, really do."

She stopped remembering as it dawned on her, Oh no! I never gave him an answer! I couldn't even speak then. That wasn't just honest, that was raw. That was naked. He opened himself completely to me, he exposed every fear he had and I couldn't respond. I don't even remember breathing. I don't remember when he left or when I did. Oh my God, what must he be thinking? What must he be feeling?

She picked up her phone and called him.

"Castle", he said.

"Rick? So do I."


	2. Chapter 2, Monday Morning

Is Forever Possible? by RGoodfellow64

**Chapter 2**, (aka It's a bet!)

Disclaimer and sad to report that I do not own Castle, or anything to do with the show other than my prized Season One and Season Two DVD sets.

It was 8am on Monday morning as Detective Javier Esposito looked over at the empty desk of his immediate superior, Detective Kate Beckett. She was almost an hour late. Without turning his head he said, "Twenty bucks says we don't see Castle today."

His partner, Detective Kevin Ryan shook his head and replied "Sorry bro. Saving for the wedding. Can't go higher than five."

Esposito whirled around in his chair and glared at his partner. "What! You gotta be kidding me. Only five!"

Ryan gave a slight grin and shrugged his shoulder, "What can I say? Weddings are expensive."

"Ok, ok, five bucks it is.", Esposito said.

"You're on." Ryan replied.

"What are you guys betting on now?" they heard as Detective Karpowski was walking by from the break room.

"Beckett and Castle." Esposito said.

"Still betting on them?" she asked. "Everyone's bets timed out on that about a month ago, didn't they?"

"Yeah, but this is different." Ryan chimed in.

"How so?"

"Well for the past few weeks Castle hasn't been acting like himself, you know, no jokes, no weird comments or tons of useless information." Ryan answered. "He's acting, well more like _us_ than _him_."

Karpowski tilted her head and gave him a questioning look. "Yeah, so?"

Esposito answered, "Sooo, he's been like a dog chewing on a bone. Something eating him, and last week he didn't even bother Beckett once while she was doing her paperwork."

Karpowski looked at Esposito and said "He what?" Shaking her head she continued, "He can't go five minutes before he has to say something to bother her. What did Beckett do?"

"Kept asking him if everything was all right." Ryan answered. "Sometimes she'd have to ask him more than once to get an answer."

"So what's there to bet about?"

Esposito leaned closer to her and said, "Well, Friday afternoon he ups and asks her to talk to him in private."

Karpowski sat down in the chair next to Esposito and leaned closer to him, asking, "So what happened then?"

"Well they both get up and head to the meeting room and close the door. Beckett sits down and Castle starts pacing back and forth like a nervous first time dad in the maternity room."

Karpowski moved in even closer, her espresso all but forgotten. "Go on. What happened next?"

Ryan having moved his chair over to the two detectives answered saying, "He started talking and she sat there listening."

"Beckett didn't say a word?"

'Nope." Ryan replied, "Nada. She just sat there sometimes looking at him and sometimes looking at the floor."

"Wait a minute." Karpowski said, Beckett looked at the _floor_? What was he _saying_?"

"I don't know what he said!" Esposito replied gruffly. "Lanie is the one who can read lips!"

"Ok, forget that, so what happened next?"

"After a while Castle stops talking and they just stare at each other." Ryan answered.

Karpowski, looking puzzled asked, "So?"

"Well after a few minutes of that Castle calls her name." Esposito said, "I can read lips for that; and then a little after that got a sad look on his face and left."

Karpowski stared at him in shock. "He looked sad and left?"

"Yep" said Ryan. "He looked like he lost his best friend."

"What was Beckett doing?"

"Now that's the weird part." Esposito answered. "She just sat there looking at where he'd been for like five minutes. Then got up, walked to her desk, got her purse and jacket and left with a blank look on her face."

"She just left?

"Yeah." Ryan said. "She left the paperwork on her desk and the pc on. We had to put everything away and shut it down for her."

Karpowski shook her head, "Wow" she said, looking a little stunned herself. "I've never seen Beckett leave the station like that."

"Neither did we." Esposito replied. "It was actually kinda creepy." Ryan piped in.

"So what are you betting on?" Karpowski asked.

"We think something major happened in there." Esposito said. "I figure she kicked him out or he decided to leave. The bet is we won't be seeing him here for a while."

"Wow." Karpowski said. "That is strange. Did anyone else see or hear what happened?"

"Lotsa folks in the bullpen were watching." Esposito answered. "But no one went in."

"Yeah", Ryan added. "No one wants to get between Mom and Dad when they argue."

Karpowski nodding in agreement asked, "So you think Castle's gone? Possibly for good?"

"That's what I think." Esposito answered. "By the look on his face she must have really laid down the law or something, 'cause that man looked shattered." He paused and continued, "It was actually hard to watch."

Karpowski could only shake her head and say "Wow. Big changes coming."

Just then, the elevator bell dinged and the doors opened to laughter. All three turned around to see Beckett and Castle walk into the bullpen side by side with coffee in their hands. Beckett was laughing and leaning into Castle and they both looked like they hadn't a care in the world. They looked almost giddy.

Beckett looked up, saw the three sitting there, and said "Hey Guys. How was your weekend?"

Castle sat down in his chair with a big grin on his face and said "Good Morning Detectives!" Then looked at Beckett and they both chuckled again.

Karpowski closed her open mouth, picked up her cold espresso and walked to her desk, nodding to Beckett and Castle as she went by.

Esposito was still staring at the two when Ryan tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Pay up bro! You should be happy I can't bet more than five."

Without turning away from Beckett and Castle, Esposito reached into his wallet and handed Ryan a five dollar bill. Shaking his head he mumbled, "I just don't get it."

Ryan tapped him on the shoulder again. Esposito turned around to see Ryan with a huge grin on his face.

"What?" An irritated Esposito asked.

Ryan's grin got wider and he softly said, "Dude, I _can_ read lips" as he moved his chair back to his desk.


	3. Chapter 3, Friday Evening

**Chapter 3, Friday Night by RGoodfellow64**

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Castle or any character from the show. ABC lets me borrow them from time to time in my stories and I thank them very much.

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He was sitting in the dark, the only light coming from the screen saver on his laptop. "You Should Be Writing" marching across the screen every twenty seconds. He didn't feel like writing, he didn't feel like doing anything. He thought about having a drink but didn't have the energy to get up from his chair.

He didn't even have enough emotion to be glad that Alexis or his mother were gone for the weekend to not see him like this. He needed time. He'd probably need the whole weekend to put his 'game face' back on.

Right now though, right now he couldn't muster the energy to even shed a tear. He didn't believe he would ever smile again, at least not honestly. He continued to stare into the darkness of his study, unaware of the passing of time; feeling alone. For the first time since he was a boy, he felt so alone, dejected, unwanted.

His phone rang. Instantly he knew who was calling, it was _her_ special ring tone. He looked at the screen, at the photo of the Nikki Heat cover and debated whether to answer or not. Without thinking he picked it up and pressed the receive button, he always answered when she called, and despite what happened this afternoon he knew he always will.

"Castle" he said.

Then the words that changed everything...

"Rick? So do I."

He stopped breathing. His mouth was open and his brain could not process what he just heard.

"Rick?"

"Rick."

"Castle! Breathe!"

He gasped as his lungs started to work again. His mind though was still trying to process what she said, and the first thing he thought to say was "Um".

He heard a chuckle over the phone and he smiled, his smile seemed to stretch further than it ever had before as he said, "Kate?"

When he heard her 'umm hmm' he said, "Would you say that again please? I need to make sure I heard it right."

He knew she was smiling when he heard her take a deep breath and in a strong but caring voice, enunciating each word separately, repeated, "Rick. So. Do. I."

He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and said, "Oh God Kate, those are the most wonderful words I've heard since the doctor said 'It's a girl.' I never believed I could ever feel happier than that, but you...Kate, you just did."

He heard her soft laugh over the phone, and realized he was still grinning like a loon. He knew his face was going to hurt tomorrow, but right now he didn't care. Kate Beckett, THE Kate Beckett wanted to be with _HIM_, wanted to see if they could be what the other needed...forever. FOREVER!

He forced his mind back to earth and said, "So, are you hungry?" When she replied yes he said, "How about something simple, Remy's? I bet our table will be free and they know what we like."

Her voice sounded thoughtful as she replied, "'Our' table Rick? At 'our' restaurant? Knowing what 'we' like?"

He wasn't sure where she was going with this so he just said, "Uh huh."

She started speaking softly, "I'm looking at the signed cast photo from Temptation Lane, I have it framed hanging by the door so I see it every time I go out. That's how important it is to me. I'm wearing my Dad's watch, all repaired and shiny after last years explosion, and I'm thinking of the man who ran in to save me."

He heard her take another breath and she continued, "Till you spoke this afternoon I could not believe that Richard Castle would want to seriously be with me. I'm no one special, just a cop with a lot of baggage, trying to do the best she can. And you, you're Richard Castle, famous author, man about town, friend to mayors and mobsters. "

He tried to interrupt, "Kate." But she kept on speaking.

"There were so many ways you showed me how much you cared, taking out a hit man with your fists, keeping me alive in the freezer and when I stood there with you in front of that bomb and looked in your eyes..." she took another breath and softly continued.

"You're the only person since my Mom who ever bothered to learn how I like my coffee. Until you spoke today, I didn't connect the dots. As much as I wanted this, I didn't want to fool myself that you cared for me as much as you seemed to. I didn't want to fool myself into believing something that wasn't true."

"Kate" he said, "It is true. So very true."

'I know Rick. Now I know. But when you said 'our table' at Remy's it made me realize how we've been more like a couple than partners for quite a while."

She laughed and said, "I am so blind. How could I not see it?"

Castle smiled and said, "Well Kate, you caught on to my plan."

By her tone of voice, he knew she was falling back into their regular pattern, "Plan Castle?"

He had to stop and calm his heart, 'their regular pattern'. They _were_ so much a couple already.

"Yes Detective, Plan, with a capital P. After all, it doesn't matter how long a 'date' is, just how good it is."

"Date, Rick? Really, all these years and all we've been through has been a _date_?"

"Yep." He replied, sensing the old familiar, 'their' normal give and take, falling back into place. It felt at once intimate, friendly, playful, comforting; it felt like _them_. "A mere three years Kate, just the beginning of 'our' date."

"Wow Castle, I always thought you might go overboard with a date, but three years?"

He heard a delighted kind of chuckle he'd never heard from her before, almost...wickedly delightful as she said, "Race you to Remy's!" and hung up the phone.

He held the phone out to look at the Nikki Heat photo, smiled warmly and said in a soft voice, "Oh Kate, you've no idea" before he went to grab his keys.

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**Authors Note**: The chronology for this story is Chapter 1, Friday afternoon and evening, Chapter 2, the following Monday morning, and Chapter 3, back to Friday evening. This was only supposed to be a one shot but more ideas kept coming, and I honestly have no idea if any more chapters will come. Thank you to all who sent such nice reviews, they are very much appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4, Friday Night, Remy's

Chapter 4, **Friday Evening, Remy's**

by RGoodfellow64

Disclaimer and bad news is that I own nothing of Castle other than what they will sell me. The characters are not mine, the show is not mine and I haven't won the lottery to buy them either. Maybe I should buy a ticket.

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He practically leaped out of the cab and ran to the door; looking inside the restaurant, he saw their booth was empty. He had somehow beaten her there. He looked around and saw their regular waitress, catching her eye he looked first at her then towards the empty booth and she nodded ok. If anyone came in before they did it would remain free.

He stood back on the sidewalk, looking up and down trying to see if she was near, all the while the same refrain was going through his head. The one that started the moment he walked out the door; Kate and Rick, Rick and Kate, Beckett and Castle, Castle and Beckett then back to Kate and Rick, to start all over again. She was so right when she said they were already a couple, at work where Beckett was, there was Castle. They were a team and...

"Hey!"

He turned around and there she was. No wonder she snuck up on him, she wasn't wearing her power heels, she was wearing...sneakers? Jeans, a tucked in shirt, jacket and a pony tail, he just stood there looking at her.

She smiled as he seemed stuck in one place, and then noticed the softness appear in his eyes. It felt so familiar. Why hadn't she noticed that before?

"Rick?"

He kept staring at her with those soft eyes and smile, then replied, "Do you know how adorable you look?"

She immediately put her head down and blushed, noticing the slight catch in his voice as he spoke. There was a fluttering in her stomach as the thought popped into her head that she hadn't felt like this with a guy since she was in high school.

Not sure how to respond to him she said, "Ummm, hungry?"

He immediately shook himself and smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, "Of course! Keren is holding the booth for us." He then made a grand gesture to the door and opened it for her as they entered.

As they were sitting down the waitress came up saying "Hi folks. Your order will be ready soon." Smiling she turned to Castle and said, "I had it started when I saw you standing outside."

Castle smiled back at her and said, "Thank you Keren, we appreciate it."

Keren then asked, "Do you want your shakes or would you rather have something else to drink?"

He looked to Beckett and raised his eyebrow, she smiled back with a slight nod, and Castle turned to their waitress and said "Two beers please."

Keren smiled and left to get the beers as Castle turned back to Beckett to see her staring at him. "What?

Kate looked him in the eyes and said, "Rick, this feels new and scary but familiar and comforting at the same time. Do you know what I mean?"

He smiled back at her and said, "Yeah Kate, I do. Simply calling you Kate, something, I should say, I have wanted to do for far too long..." he stopped abruptly, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again he smiled, placing his hand, palm up on the table in an unmistakable invitation.

Kate put her hand in his without any hesitation and searched his face.

His smile became broader as he quietly said, "I really have to remember to rein myself in or else I will probably be writing you all sorts of really bad teenage love poems."

She squeezed his hand and chuckled at his comment. Leaning forward she said, "Rick, if it becomes too much to hold back, I guess I can allow a few really bad teenage love poems." Her eyes sparkling she gave his hand another squeeze and said, "Though I have a feeling that they will be pretty darn special."

They sat there just looking into each other's eyes, holding hands and never noticed when Keren returned with their two beers. She looked down at them, smiled and gently placed the beers where they wouldn't be in their way. She quietly returned to the front for their meal, all the while thinking how content they both looked. They were her favorite customers and she was so happy for them. She turned to the cook and said, "Hey Jim, will you put some extra fries with that for me?" as their meal was being prepared.

As always, the burgers were cooked to perfection and prepared just the way they like them. While eating Kate was struck again at how this had quietly snuck up on her. Remembering all the little signs that she missed over the past few years she unconsciously took another french-fry from Ricks plate.

He smiled and nudged his plate closer to hers and then grabbed one of her fries. Swallowing he said, "When I dreamt of our getting together I thought we would try to keep it just to ourselves, not tell anyone, you know?" She nodded as she took another of his fries, "Yeah, I actually thought the same thing as I was coming here, but..."

He smiled and said, "Yep. But. Pretty big word for only three letters, isn't it?"

She smiled back at him and said, "Trained detectives. No way we can hide it from them."

He nodded his head and reached his hand out again, she took it and as they continued to eat each other's fries, they talked.

They talked about things they already knew, they talked about things they didn't know, and they talked about things they never told anyone before. They opened up to the other as they had never done before in their lives. There was almost a need, a want, to go places where they had always been afraid to go before. Where Kate alone was afraid to bring something up, Kate with Rick felt assured, felt confident that it was right. Rick was experiencing the same thing. Where he had thought all these years how frightening it would be for someone to learn what molded him, he felt none of that now. Rick with Kate felt assured and confident. Here was his friend, his partner, perhaps his forever, and it just felt _right_, in a way that it never had before.

They were so engrossed in each other that they never noticed when Keren took away their empty plates and glasses, were oblivious when she brought each their favorite shake for dessert, and never saw her remove those glasses when they were empty.

They never noticed that no one sat near them. As customers came in, Keren sat them in booths or tables away from her favorite couple. She felt that something magical was happening in that booth, and didn't want anything to interrupt it. She looked at the clock and smiled, they had been talking for almost four hours and she would bet they felt it was only a few minutes.

Suddenly a glass fell to the floor and broke with a loud crash. The sound startled them and they realized they had been sitting there for quite a while. Kate looked at her Dad's watch and saw the time. She could not remember a time when she was out with anyone that the world slipped by her without notice.

Rick was trying to catch Keren's attention for the check as Kate recalled when she first discovered Richard Castle. His photo on the book jacket was so handsome that she fantasized what it would be like with him. She gave a little shiver as she discovered that the reality of being with him was so far beyond anything she could imagine.

As this thought crossed her mind he turned back to her and said, "I can't believe how long we've been here!" He gave a little smile and shyly said "This is gonna sound so cheesy, but I really don't want this date to end."

Kate smiled back at him and said, "End? Isn't this three years...and counting?"

A huge grin came over his face as she watched his eyes light up. Part of her loved to see that side of him, but there was another part that said 'Uh oh, what's he going to do now?', but most of her simply sat back to watch the show. She had no worries that he would embarrass her, this was her partner, her friend, her possible 'one' and she trusted him. She found she wasn't surprised that she trusted him completely.

Wow, she thought, I trust him completely. _Completely_. Her thoughts were broken when she realized he was calling her name.

"Kate? Earth to Kate! Are you still with us?"

She focused on him again and asked "What?"

"I said if we leave now we can be in the Hamptons in about two hours." Waving his hand around Remy's he said, "We can continue this without breaking glasses or other distractions." She tilted her head to the side and he quickly added, "Really! No funny business!"

Keren arrived with the check and a smile, then walked away. Rick got up and helped Kate with her jacket, leaving three $20.00 bills on the table. She looked up at him and said, "I don't know Rick...after that kiss, can I honestly think you will keep your hands to yourself?"

He stood still as a statue as she raised herself on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, "Or keep _my_ hands off you?"

She let go of his hand and headed for the door. Realizing she was walking alone she turned and saw the expression on his face. For a brief moment she was shocked herself, that she had such an affect on him. Then she gave a wicked little smile, turned and sashayed back to him, tapped him on the chest and said, "You coming?"

Taking her arm in his, he bent down and kissed her hair, breathing deep the smell of cherries. They looked into each other's eyes, smiled and headed out the door.

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**Authors note: **For a one shot this has continued to grow. For reasons known only to herself, my muse (who is not Kate Beckett or the actress who plays her on TV) keeps bringing me back. I hope you don't mind. And thanks to all of you who gave such nice reviews, I am thrilled that people actually like my writing.


	5. Chapter 5, Precinct, Monday Morning

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 5, Precinct, Monday morning

by RGoodfellow64

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, ABC, Disney, Nathan, Stana or anyone or thing associated with the show Castle. Wish I did though, we have a lot of Spring cleaning to do and I can use some help.

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They'd been in their seats for about an hour. Beckett was finishing paperwork left after her unexpected departure from the precinct on Friday afternoon, and Castle was typing on his phone. He had a gleeful smile on his face that made her get up to see what he was doing.

'With her gorgeous hair and her sexy eyes

I feel I'm the luckiest of lucky guys.'

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

Castle looked up from his phone at Beckett and said, "What?"

She whispered, "I know I said if you couldn't hold it in some bad teenage poetry was ok, but that?" She shook her head in denial and pointed to his phone. "I don't even know what to say!" and walked back to her chair.

As she was sitting down, Castle looked down at the phone, "You don't like it?" he asked. Then he smiled and said "But you have to, it's true! And you know you always want the truth!"

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and seriously considered taking his phone away from him when her phone rang. "Beckett." She answered.

The agitated voice of Dr. Lanie Parish could be heard well beyond the confines of her desk. "Detective Beckett, I want you and your partner down here five minutes ago!" and then the call was disconnected.

Castle looked up and smiled at Beckett saying, "Want me to come now or later?"

Beckett sighed and said, "No, she wants us both, so come on." Before leaving they both gave pointed looks in the direction of Detective Esposito, who whistled a tuneless melody and pretended he was reading a case file.

Walking by his desk Castle muttered to him, "It would look more realistic if it wasn't upside down." and chuckled as Esposito quickly turned the paper around only to see that now it was _really_ upside down, and it hadn't been when Castle walked by.

As they were waiting for the elevator Castle's voice could be heard asking, "I don't know why you say I shouldn't call England. Oxford _is_ in England you know, and maybe she can help so Alexis won't really want to go there."

As they were entering the elevator Beckett's voice was heard replying, "Castle, you are _not_ calling the Queen!"

As the doors were closing he seemed to have the last word, "But maybe she's a fan!"

As the doors finally closed Detective Ryan walked up to Esposito and said, "So, you sicced Lanie on them, huh?"

Esposito smirked and said, "Darn right bro! They cost me five bucks!"

Ryan just shook his head and headed back to his desk, wishing he could be a fly on the wall for the upcoming conversation.

In the elevator Castle turned to Beckett and said, "How do you want to handle this?"

She smiled and replied, "Just the truth Rick, I mean, it's not like it's a secret now, is it?"

"No." He answered, then put his arm around her shoulder. "Partners. I will always have your back."

As she leaned into him all she could think was 'Wow, and I waited how long for this?'

The elevator stopped and the doors opened to Dr. Parish standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot and giving her own very good rendition of the evil eye.

Castle murmured into Beckett's ear, "She can really look scary, can't she?"

Beckett smiled, took his hand and replied, "Don't worry, I do scary a lot better than she does." as they exited the elevator and stopped a few feet from Lanie.

Lanie wasn't angry, she was annoyed, but not angry. She took a good look at the two of them and noticed they were holding hands and making no attempt to let go. She noticed how close they were standing together. This wasn't the touchy feely sort, but a shared closeness that hadn't been there last week.

She looked closely at Kate's face. There was a calmness there that she had never seen before. A serenity in her that seemed to shine. She always knew Castle would be good for her, but she never dreamed he would be _that_ good for her.

Javi was right, they WERE together, they WERE a couple. She felt the smile start across her face and she rushed up to Beckett with her arms open and gave her a big hug.

"I am so happy for you girl, I could scream!" she squealed.

Beckett let go of Castle's hand and put her arms around Lanie, whispering in her ear, "I know. I have a hard time not pinching myself to see if it's real."

Lanie pulled away from her friend, looked at Castle and said, "Do you see that chair over there?" He nodded yes.

"Sit down and wait, I'll get to you after I have a chat with my girl here."

Lanie started leading Kate to her office as Castle sat where he was told. Just before Lanie closed the door Kate looked up to see him busy on his phone. She called out, "No more poems! And don't even think of calling England!"

Castle looked up and pouted as Lanie closed the door. "What was that all about?" she asked.

Kate shook her head and said, "He's just being Castle." and rolled her eyes at Lanie's "Uh, huh!"

As they were sitting down Kate said, "Ok Lanie. No games. Ask away."

Lanie just stared at Kate and said, "You're not gonna stonewall me? Ask me what I'm talking about? Pretend nothing happened?"

Kate smiled and said, "Why bother? Can't hide it from the boys and I don't want to keep it from you. So, ask away."

The words almost exploded out of Lanie's mouth, she was in such a hurry to get some answers. "What happened? Javi called me but by the time I was free to get up there you were gone and they were clearing your desk and shutting down your pc! Kate, you _never_ leave the precinct like that!"

She shook her head and continued, "They told me that you and Castle went into the conference room, talked for a while and he left looking like he lost his best friend. Then you came out like a zombie and just left!"

Lanie stopped to catch her breath and continued. "I tried calling you at home when I got through for the day but you didn't answer, and your cell just went to voice mail! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Kate looked down at her hands then back up to Lanie and said, "I am so sorry Lanie. After I got home I just kept thinking about all that happened, then I called Rick and left. Since I had the weekend off I turned off my cell and didn't turn it on again till this morning."

Lanie gave a little smile when she heard Kate say "Rick". 'Oh ho', she thought, he's "Rick" now.

Kate, meanwhile, continued speaking, "After I saw your messages I had every intention of seeing you the moment I got in, but...well, we were late and then I got tied up with the paperwork from Friday and then you called."

Lanie sighed and said, "Alright Kate, I accept your apology, but tell me, what the heck happened up there on Friday and where were you all weekend? With...Rick?"

Kate smiled and Lanie noticed a far away look come over her face just before she stared to speak. "He wanted to tell me some things that I needed to hear."

"What you needed to hear?" Lanie asked. "What do you mean, what you needed to hear?"

Kate took a breath and said, "Lanie, how often did you tell me that Castle cared for me? Lots, right?" Lanie nodded her head yes.

"You told me," Kate continued, "Esposito told me, my friend Madison told me, even Jordan Shaw and Natalie Rhodes told me!" she exclaimed. "Everybody told me he cared for me except him."

Lanie's eyes bored into Kate's as she said, "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that he finally told you how he felt?"

A soft look came over her face as Kate replied, "Yeah. Did he ever. Lanie he didn't just tell me how he felt, in typical Castle style he went way beyond simply telling me."

She took another deep breath and said, "Lanie, this stays between us, you don't say a word to Esposito! I mean it! This is way too close to my heart."

Lanie simply nodded yes and softly said, "So what happened?"

Kate looked her in the eyes and said, "He opened himself up to me like no man has ever done before. He spoke to me and touched a part of my heart that I have never let anyone know exists, let alone show, but somehow, he found it.

Her eyes started to tear as she went on, "He put his soul out on the line then Lanie, all his heart was there for me to see. He was defenseless, and put himself in my hands, to either hold or crush."

She looked back up to Lanie, "That is how completely he told me what I needed to hear. This is how completely he told me he trusted me. This is how completely he told me he cared."

Lanie could not believe what she was hearing. That man was gold; he really was worthy of her friend. She leaned forward and softly asked, "So why did he leave so sad? What did you say to him then?"

Kate ran her fingers through her hair and replied, "I didn't say a word. I couldn't say a thing Lanie, I was in shock!"

Lanie gave her a quizzical look, "What do you mean you were in shock? He just told you how much he wants you and you go into shock?"

Kate rolled her eyes and said, "Lanie, this was Richard Castle talking to me. Richard. Freaking. Castle! I just couldn't comprehend that he," she paused and then said in a small voice, "that he would really want me."

Lanie shook her head in exasperation, "So what happened then?"

Kate smiled and said, "When I got home I changed clothes, even though I don't remember doing so, called him and we met at Remy's for a bite to eat."

"And?"

"Well, we may have sat there for over four hours, holding hands and talking."

Lanie's grin got even wider as she asked, "Holding hands? Four hours?"

Kate just nodded and said "Yep."

Kate watched Lanie's eyes get wider as she told her that he suggested they go to his place in the Hamptons to continue their talk without interruption. When she mentioned that she teased him about keeping his hands to himself after that kiss Lanie broke in with a loud squeal that Castle heard sitting across the room.

"Kiss? What kiss? You never told me about any kiss! When did this kiss happen, Friday?"

Kate blushed and looked down at her feet before looking back at Lanie, "This is another thing you can't tell Esposito or anyone about, but remember when Ryan and Esposito were held by that hit man who calls himself Lockwood?"

Lanie nodded her head yes, as Kate continued to explain how she and Castle managed to fool the guard with a kiss.

Kate stopped after saying that Castle kissed her and Lanie asked, "Well, how was it? You can't just stop there!"

Kate gave a small smile while looking at Lanie, and steeled herself for another squeal, "Well...I kind of kissed him back."

"You WHAT!" Lanie exclaimed.

Kate closed her eyes and scrunched her shoulders, "I kissed him back." she said, hoping Lanie would calm down a little.

"Oh girl, it must have been good for you to kiss him back."

"Lanie, I never had a kiss like that before in my life. It was...it was electric. I didn't want to stop and my hands were all over him..." she put her head down and softly said, "I even think I moaned."

Lanie took a deep breath and said, "Ok, lets get back to Friday."

Kate started to tell her about their trip to the Hamptons when Lanie's phone rang. She looked at the display and asked Kate, "What's your boy calling me for?"

Kate immediately corrected her by saying "Man. Man, Lanie, definitely man."

Lanie just smiled and put the phone on speaker. "What do you want Castle? We're still talking here."

They both looked out the window of Lanie's office to see Castle still sitting in his chair, phone in one hand and the other raised and waving. "Hello! I need to go to the bathroom!" he said.

Kate and Lanie both rolled their eyes at the same time, and Kate started to chuckle.

Lanie replied, "Ok Castle, but come right back and sit down again."

"But I'm bored! Can I check out some of the creepy looking tools?" he asked.

Kate gave a small laugh and mouthed to Lanie, "You're the one who asked him here."

Lanie said, "Castle, just do what you gotta do and come back to that chair and sit there with your hands on your knees or I will personally introduce you to some of those creepy looking tools!"

She disconnected the call and turned back to Kate saying, "Ok, now where were we?"

Kate told her how they drove to her apartment to get a few things and then headed out to the Hamptons. She told Lanie that they didn't continue the conversation from Remy's, but made a game out of the drive. Looking at other cars and making up stories about the people, where they were from, where they were going, who and what they were.

"Lanie, you have no idea how many cars look like they're CIA, or full of aliens, after midnight on the Long Island Expressway."

Lanie laughed and said, "Sounds like you had fun."

Kate gave a nostalgic smile and said, "I had no idea how much fun just being with him can be. I actually made up stories of my own and we had as much fun with them as with his. It seemed like only a few minutes and we were there."

Lanie's eyes lit up, "Now we're getting somewhere girl! What happened when you got there?"

"Lanie, nothing happened." Kate replied. "It was almost 3am and we were both tired. He showed me the guest room and gave me a kiss goodnight."

"Ooooo, another kiss! Was it as hot as the last one?

Kate shook her head and said, "Actually Lanie, it was so much better. This time we really meant it and both wanted to." She held up her hand to stop another squeal, "But it was not a hot romantic kiss; it was soft and gentle and probably the sweetest kiss I ever had."

Lanie was about to say something when her phone rang. They both turned around to see Castle once again sitting in the chair with the phone in one hand and waving the other hand.

Lanie looked at Kate and asked, "Would you mind too much if I used a few of my creepy looking tools on him?"

Kate shook her head no as Lanie answered the phone, "What, Castle!"

"I'm still bored and you won't let me play with any of the cool things you have down here and besides I can't even call England or write poems!" he exclaimed.

Kate smiled at Lanie and said, "Better bring him in Lanie, we may be together now, but he is still Castle and you have no idea how much damage he could do out there alone."

Lanie sighed and said, "Castle, get your butt in here!" and hung up the phone.

A few seconds later he came in and sat next to Kate. They looked in each other eyes, Blue eyes said 'Is everything ok?' and Green eyes answered 'Yes, don't worry.' as they both turned around at the same time to look at Lanie.

Lanie looked at the two of them and said, "You are so _cute_ when you do that!" She didn't fail to notice how Kate reached over and took Castle's hand. A very deep contentment settled over her when she saw that. This was something she had never seen with Kate before, and she knew that something truly magical happened this weekend.

Just as she was about to ask them what they did Saturday and Sunday, Kate's phone rang. She looked at it and answered in her professional voice, "Beckett!" She nodded a few times and said, "Lanie, we'll have to go over that some other time. That was Esposito and we have to head out on a case."

With that, she and Castle both got up and headed out the door.

Lanie called after her, "Girl, if you think you got out of saying anything forget it! We _will_ talk about this later!"

Kate waved her hand and said over her shoulder, "Whatever you say Lanie." as they headed for the elevator.

Lanie couldn't help but notice where Castle walked. Slightly behind Kate and at her left side. The side that didn't have the gun.

Lanie smiled and said to herself, "Oh yeah, that is a partnership for the record books." Then looked back at her desk at the paperwork she still had do.

Her last thoughts before starting her work were, 'Kate Beckett and Richard Castle. Damn, it's about time!'

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**Authors Note**: Wow, wow, wow! I could not believe the reviews I got from the last chapter...thank you all so very much. It must have inspired me to do more because I wrote this a couple of days later. Thank you all again, it really does mean a lot.


	6. Chapter 6, Wednesday Night at the Loft

Is Forever Possible? Chapter 6,

Wednesday Night, at the Loft

by RGoodfellow64

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle, or anything related Castle other that what I purchase retail. But boy, if I did...

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Rick Castle walked to his door and put the key in the lock. He did so unconsciously, just as he did entering his building, talking to the Security Guard, and riding the elevator to his floor. His conscious mind was busy thinking about Kate Beckett and the big...no, make that huge change in his life.

The case they caught while sitting with Lanie took two days to solve and they were so busy there was no time for anything else. Just work, eat, go home and sleep for a few hours, and do it all over again. If he hadn't simply walked out and brought food back he doubted Kate would have had anything other than a few gummy bears or M&M's.

He smiled as he recalled opening the cartons and quietly putting the food in front of her. Without even realizing what she was doing, she would eat, and then go back to working the case.

His grin widened as he thought about the call early this morning, when she realized she wasn't hungry.

"I completely forgot about food. Thank you for feeding me; for looking out for me."

Even though she woke him at 3am it was instinctive, it was who he is and what he wants to be for her when he answered, "Always."

Now it was almost 9pm that Wednesday night, everyone was so tired they barely made it home, and Castle was looking forward to an uninterrupted ten hours or more of sleep.

As he entered the Loft, he noticed the light on in the kitchen. Alexis was sitting at the breakfast bar working on her homework, her laptop open and slightly to the side of her textbook.

"Hello daughter!" he said in as robust a voice as he could manage.

She smiled at him and replied, "Hello Father." in the same tone as he came up and kissed her cheek.

"Still studying?" He asked, "I thought you'd be on the phone with Ashley."

"Just finishing the studying Dad" she said with a grin. "And for your information, I wanted to spend some quality time with my Father, so no Ashley tonight."

Rick's eyebrows rose and he walked to the fridge to get a cold bottle of water. He figured he had better have his wits about him if Alexis wanted to spend some "quality time" with him.

He opened the bottle and took a sip, then leaning on the counter said, "Ok pumpkin, what do you want to know?"

Alexis gave a little smile and said, "Ahh, you know me too well." and then reached over to turn the laptop so they both could see the screen.

"I was checking out your website this afternoon and look what I found when I clicked the "Castle Sightings" tab."

He was getting a little nervous, but looked at the screen as Alexis clicked on the tab in question. There was a Castle Sighting post from early yesterday morning.

Alexis clicked on the post and there was the thing he dreaded. A slightly blurred and somewhat grainy photo of himself and Kate sitting at the booth at Remy's, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes.

The post title said "Castle in Love?" and then had a short description of how the poster saw them at Remy's and walked by them a couple of times pretending to go to the restroom, and during one of the trips snapped this photo quickly on his phone.

Castle closed his eyes and sighed, all the while thinking how he can fix this so Kate won't kill him.

"Anything you want to talk about Dad?" Alexis asked in a very business like voice.

Castle looked up at her and asked, "Can this be deleted?"

"Wouldn't do any good. The photo is on four other boards" she answered. "Oh! And there's a message on the answering machine from Paula...I believe she mentioned it in her very short, but very loud message."

Castle put his head in his hand and groaned. Alexis heard him mutter to himself, "I am so dead!"

"Dad!" she said, "We need to focus here. I've been monitoring your websites since I was twelve, and except for when you "borrowed" the police horse one spring, this is the first time I've been blindsided in years."

She gave a cute businesslike frown looked him squarely in the eye and said, "Answers! Now!"

"Ok. I am dating Kate Beckett."

Alexis' eyes got wider and her mouth opened involuntarily, "Really?" she asked. "I know how much you like her and all...but, _really_?"

That last really was at least five octaves higher than the first. She was so excited she didn't realize that she was almost jumping off her stool.

"Yes, pumpkin...really."

"So what happened? I mean, how did you get her to go out with you? These past couple of weeks you seemed so preoccupied, I wasn't sure what was going on."

"I kept thinking about her. I would come back from the precinct and realize that the second I left her I missed her, terribly. But I didn't know how to convey those feelings to her. After all, a police station is not the romantic location I'd prefer."

"So what did you do Dad? I know how important she is to you, how sad you were when she was dating that doctor guy."

He gave her a hurt look, put his hand on his chest and said, "I was the soul of courtesy and chivalry."

Alexis rolled her eyes at him and said, "Please, Dad! You walked around here with a smile for days after she broke up with him. Remember complaining how much your face hurt after that?"

He wasn't listening to her as much as he was thinking, 'How did she learn to roll her eyes like that? Has she been taking lessons from Kate?'

"Dad?"

"Huh? I'm sorry, what?"

Alexis rolled her eyes again noticing he gave a slight shiver when she did, and said, "Details Dad. If Detective Beckett is going to be in your life she's going to be in mine, so spill."

He took another sip of water, moved around from the kitchen, sat on the stool next to her, and said, "I have been thinking for the past week or more that I don't want to blow this chance. This is the first time since last year that we both had no one else in our lives and I just knew if I waited some other guy would swoop down and grab her."

Alexis tilted her head and gave her father a sweet, encouraging smile, but inside was thinking how cute he looked all worried that he might lose his chance.

As we were getting near the end of the week, I was getting more and more worried that I could mess this up if I didn't act on my feelings as quickly as possible...so Friday afternoon I asked her into the conference room and told her how I feel."

Alexis' eyes got even wider when she heard that. As much as she loved her Dad, he was never good at letting his feelings show. You would actually see his feelings, his hopes and fears, his loves and losses, in his writing before he would ever say them out loud. For him to actually open up and tell someone, especially Detective Beckett, how he feels was simply amazing.

While she was thinking this Castle continued speaking. "I had planned what I was going to say and how I was going to say it but when I started to speak it just came out in one unstoppable flood!"

"Oh Dad, you didn't..."

He interrupted her and said, "No, no, it wasn't something bad, she sat and listened to me and when I finished pouring it out, she just sat there looking at me with a strange look."

Alexis frowned and said, "But what did she say?"

"Nothing sweetie, but don't worry, it worked out ok. She was just shocked by what happened and called later that night. That's when we went to Remy's and well..." at this he pointed to the laptop, "you see the photo."

They both turned to look at the photo, "For someone you were afraid was going to be 'swooped' up, she seems pretty into you" Alexis said.

Turning to her Dad she saw the biggest grin on his face. "Yeah, she does, doesn't she?"

"So all that happened is you went to Remy's and just talked?" Alexis asked.

"Noooooo," he slowly drawled out the word, thinking how to say this. "We...we uh, we went to the Hamptons."

"Dad! You took her to the Hamptons? This past weekend?"

Castles eyes got soft as he gave a slight smile and said, "Yes. We drove out to the Hamptons after we left Remy's...oh and after she packed a few things for herself."

Alexis gave out a great sigh of frustration which made Castle raise his eyebrows. "Dad, this is like pulling teeth. Can't you just give me the story, beginning to end?" She gave him a serious look and continued, "This is the most wonderful and important thing to happen to this family in a long time. Gram is going to want to know and I will need details!"

Castle gave a little smirk and said, "Do you really want to know about your father's love life?"

"Ew! No Dad, I'm not going there, but I know how important she is to you and I need to know that this is something serious for you both." She put her finger to her mouth and said, "Hmmm, maybe I should give her a call tomorrow."

"No!" he exclaimed, causing Alexis to give him a strange look. "What I mean is she really needs her rest after this case, so it's better to ask me and not bother her."

"Then start Dad, from the Hamptons."

"Jeesh, you are so bossy. We arrived around 3am and were so tired that we went to bed."

Alexis raised her eyebrows at this, "Bed? she asked.

"Separate beds! Are you old enough to be thinking things like that?" At her look he continued. "I showed her the guest room and she slept till about 10am. I woke up around 8am and went to the store since the fridge was empty."

He took another sip of his water, "Right up front nothing happened. What I mean is by nothing happened is that, well, are you sure you're old enough to hear this?" Alexis gave him a sharp look, "Never mind. There was no sex."

She gave him a surprised look and he quickly added, "I've learned that isn't what you build a life together on sweetie, there is a whole lot more than that."

She looked at him with a hint of disbelief and simply said, "Ellie Monroe?"

He gave her a very serious look and answered, "I said to build a life together, Kate is way too important to me."

"So what _happened_?" shaking her head she added, "I think I ought to look into dentistry in college."

Castle gave her a grin and said, "I made breakfast and the day was perfect to go outside in the sun and watch the waves, which we did for a while. We just continued to talk about all sorts of things."

He paused a moment and said off hand, "Oh yes, we did kiss, um, a lot. And there were hugs, um, a lot of hugs too." He had a soft of funny look on his face when he mentioned the hugs and Alexis caught him on that.

"Hugs? Something special about hugs?"

"Yes?" He said, hoping she wouldn't say more, but she was as determined to get answers from him as Kate is with her interrogations. Once again, he wondered if his daughter and the lovely detective were in touch with each other.

"Wenamedsomeofourhugs" he said as quickly as he could.

"What was that? Slowly please."

He gave a big sigh and said, "We named some of our hugs, or rather Kate named them." He got a dopey look on his face and he smiled remembering how she came up with names for their hugs. That was a side of her that he never imagined, and he found that it made her that much more special in his heart. Tough as nails Kate Beckett making up romantic little endearments for Rick Castle. He still felt the need to pinch himself when he thought of that.

Alexis was absolutely thrilled with what she was hearing. Although only 17, she knew that from what he was saying, her Dad and Detective Beckett have something really special. Just the far away look on his face can tell her that.

"Dad? Dad? Naming hugs. Detective Beckett did that?"

Castle came back to reality and said, "Oh yes, and it is adorable. We have the 'I really need to hold you' hug, the 'I can't believe I'm with you' hug, the 'I am so ready to kiss you' hug, the 'I need to hold you closer' hug, the..."

Alexis stopped him right there. "Dad! TMI! I get the idea. So you guys are really a couple now? I mean, this isn't just a short time thing?"

Castle reached over and patted her hand, "Sweetie, if I have anything to say about it, this is forever. Already it's better for both of us."

"What do you mean?"

"We got this case on Monday morning, and usually when we go over the facts we start going so fast we finish each others sentences. If we were a car I'd say we were running on 6 cylinders. But after this weekend something happened, we are so much more in tune with each other that we seem to have added additional cylinders. I can't explain it clearly, but we sometimes didn't even need to finish words, it's like we knew what was in each others minds and simply understood."

He gave a little chuckle, "Esposito and Ryan made us back up and explain some of the things we said, because they were half finished words and they had no clue what we were saying." He could still see the puzzled look on Ryan's face and hear Esposito's "Bro! In English!"

While he was happily reliving those moments Alexis cleared her throat and said, "Ok Dad, this is _real_ then." He nodded. "What are you going to tell Detective Beckett?" She asked while looking at the photo on line.

His look of contentment quickly changed to one of uncertainty and fear...then changed again to sly as he said, "Wait! We all have tomorrow off, so I have a whole day to figure out what to say!"

Alexis put her hand on his and said, "But Dad, didn't you tell me she's a fan and has your website bookmarked? You've been trying to discover her username since you met her."

The fear returned to Castles eyes and he lowered his head in his hand, "I am _so_ dead!"

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**Authors Note:** So, did I get Alexis right? Their dynamics? I really want to stay true to the show, but this is, at least from the show viewpoint, unknown territory. I am more nervous over this one than any before. And I really can't call it a one shot any more, not with 6 chapters. ;-)


	7. Chapter 7, Thursday morning

Is Forever Possible

by RGoodfellow64

Chapter 7, Early Thursday Morning.

Disclaimer: As previously stated, but probably not enough for the lawyers, I do not own the characters, or anything else of Castle.

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She had come home so tired that all she wanted to do was fall into bed and stay there for a week. Unfortunately, she was so tired that she couldn't sleep and was up way too early. While the coffee was brewing, she turned on her computer and checked her mail. The first thing that caught her eye was an update from Castle's web site.

She clicked the link on the update, and now a few minutes later, Kate Beckett was in a very intense conversation with a very argumentative person...herself.

Staring at the monitor, she was looking at a slightly blurred grainy photo of herself and Rick at Remy's last Friday night.

'So why am I not wanting to shoot him?' she asked herself.

She replied, 'Because you knew that this would happen sooner or later with him.'

'But this was such a private moment, it was _special!_ Why did that slime ball have to go and spoil it by taking a photo?'

'Spoil it?' she asked herself, 'What makes you think he spoiled it?'

'That was _our_ special moment...this is all Castle's fault!'

'Of course it's Castle's fault! It always is. He's the bad boy of mystery writers. On the top 10 most eligible bachelor list for years! But look at it this way; you have a photo to remember that very special moment.'

'Oh great, I have a photo, so does half the city of New York! There are probably a dozen fangirls outside my building waiting to lynch me! This is all his fault!'

'So why don't I want to shoot him?'

'Look at the way he's looking at you!' she told herself while staring at the photo.

'A whole movie company could have come in to set up a Nikki Heat production and he wouldn't have noticed a thing.'

She smiled and gazed at the photo while her internal voices continued to argue.

'You have to admit no one has ever looked at you the way he does.'

'And don't forget the way that makes you feel. _He_ makes you feel special, it wasn't the place, it was him.'

Her eyes softened as she continued to gaze at the two of them at Remy's.

'So that's why I don't want to shoot him?'

'Yep.'

She sighed and ended the internal conversation, thinking, that night was so special to her. Damn, if she could find out who took that photo she would shove his phone so far...she imagined his Proctologist appreciating the close up photos and smiled.

'I can't deal with this without coffee', she thought as she headed to the kitchen to pour herself a cup. She looked at the medium sized cup, put it aside then reached into the cupboard and pulled out a giant mug.

"Ah, there you are." she said to the mug as she filled it with coffee. She took a sip and sighed, "Now I can handle anything."

Walking back to her computer she wondered how she would handle _this_ though.

As she sat down her phone rang.

It wasn't a special ringtone, it was the generic one that came with her phone. Looking at the screen, she realized that she had received calls from this person before.

Surprised that she would call her, Kate picked up her phone and said, "Alexis? Is everything all right?"

Alexis sounded nervous as she answered, "Oh yes. Nothing's wrong. At least I don't think there is."

Kate was confused by this response and said, "Ok Alexis, so what can I do for you?"

Alexis' voice still sounded nervous as she asked, "Did I wake you Detective? I can call back later if you'd like."

A smile came across Kate's face, she genuinely liked Alexis, and without realizing it the endearment she always associated with Alexis came to her tongue, "No sweetie, I was already awake, so what's up?"

On the other end Alexis' face burst with a huge smile, even if she didn't realize it, calling her 'sweetie' was perhaps the nicest thing Detective Beckett had ever done for her.

"Um, I was just wondering..." the thought trailed off.

With a quizzical look on her face, Kate said, "Yes?"

Suddenly a dam burst forth and the words poured out of Alexis. "Dad says you're registered to his web site and I was wondering if you may have looked there lately."

A stray thought occurred to Kate and she asked, "Did your Dad put you up to this?"

"Oh no!" Alexis replied, "He's still asleep and probably won't wake up for at least a few more hours. He'd kill me if he knew I called."

Kate laughed and said, "Don't worry Alexis, he won't kill you. Remember I'm the one who carries a gun, and I won't let him!"

Alexis sighed, "Thanks Detective, but you didn't say if you'd been on the site lately."

"Actually Alexis, I logged on about 10 minutes ago." Kate replied. "Why?"

Alexis said, "Can you hold on a sec Detective?"

"Ok..."

Alexis was the administrator of the official Richard Castle Web Site and was currently looking at who was on line. There was Tracy, QOTC, Arky10, MySecretCrush, CatB, teeldu, Will...wait a minute. Everyone else has been on for at least an hour or more, but MySecretCrush just logged in 11 minutes ago.

"Detective Beckett, is your user name MySecretCrush?"

Kate gasped in shock, "Alexis, how did you...". She gathered her thoughts together and said in a stern voice, "Alexis, you can _never_ tell your father what my user name is!"

"Oh don't worry Detective, he's been trying to figure out who you are for a couple of years now, but his admin rights were revoked five years ago, and I'm the only Administrator for the site. As many times as he's asked me to look, I never have. I figured if you wanted him to know you'd tell him."

Kate gave a sigh and said, "Thank you Alexis, I really do appreciate that. I created that name years before I ever met your father. It would be just too embarrassing."

After a few seconds Kate said, "And Alexis, you should really call me Kate, I'd like it if you did."

She could almost see the huge grin come over Alexis' face as she said that.

"Thank you, Det...Kate. I'd really like that."

Kate took a breath and continued, "So you're calling about the photo taken on Friday night?"

"Yes I am." Alexis said softly, then in a rush, "You're not going to kill my dad are you? I mean look at him, I don't think he had any idea anyone else was in the restaurant. Really! If he had any idea that someone would take a photo he would have gotten you out of there so fast..."

Kate laughed and said, "Alexis! Calm down! I am not going to kill your father."

She heard a sigh on the other end of the line and then a thought crossed her mind, "Alexis? she asked, "Did your dad talk to you about us?"

Kate heard Alexis take a deep breath and then the words just poured out, "He came in last night exhausted and ready to go to bed but I'd found the photo on line and it was too late to delete it and I thought it would be best if I told him about it right away and I really didn't mean to intrude if you didn't want me to know and if it wasn't true then we would be able to do something about it but I really hoped it was true and when he said you were dating I was so excited but I was afraid that you would get upset and he thinks he is so dead and..."

Kate chuckled and said, "Alexis! Calm down! I am not as upset as I thought I'd be. I'm not sure why, but I'm really not, and I am not going to kill your dad or stop seeing him."

A big smile came over Kate's face as she continued, "I am happy that he told you, but what I am most happy about is your reaction to our seeing each other. I don't want to come between you and your dad. Ever."

"Kate, I..." there was a knock on Alexis' door. Alexis whispered in the phone, "Kate, hold on please?" as the door was opening.

Kate could hear Alexis say good morning to her father and could hear Castle's part of the conversation.

"Morning pumpkin, I thought I heard you on the phone."

Alexis knew she couldn't lie to her father, but he told her last night not to call Detective Beckett, so she wasn't really lying when she replied, "Morning Dad, when I woke up I thought I might call Ashley."

"Oh." Castle answered.

"What are you doing up so early?" Alexis asked.

"I don't think I slept more than a few minutes all night." he answered. "All because of that...well you know why. I just wanted you to know I'll be in my office, trying to...ahh, I'll just...I'll just be in my office."

Rick closed the door to Alexis' "Ok Dad."

"Kate?" Alexis' voice came over her phone.

"I'm here Alexis."

"He really, really cares for you, a lot. I have never seen him as happy in my life as I have these past few days, but he didn't sleep last night worrying about how you will take this."

"I know sweetie, I know."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll give him a little time and then give him a call."

Before Alexis could say anything Kate continued, "Don't worry, I would never hurt him, he is way too special to me."

She gave a little laugh and said, "But you don't need to tell him I said that."

Alexis heard the smile in Kate's voice and knew she made the right decision to call her, despite what her father told her last night.

"Thank you Kate. You don't need to tell him I called you either."

Kate smiled and said, "It will be our little secret."

Alexis beamed as Kate ended the call with, "Alexis? Don't ever think that a call from you is a bother or interruption, I will _always_ make time for you."

After she hung up the phone, Kate freshened her coffee and then thought of what she would say to Castle. She knew she had to call him, and didn't want him to stew in this mess for too long.

Kate looked at the photo again and smiled, "No one has ever looked at me like that before. He really is sweet."

She grinned as a thought came to her, 'But like always, it's his fault, so I don't need to be _that_ gentle.'

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Twenty minutes after he spoke to Alexis he was sitting in his chair looking at the photo. If she hadn't been on the phone he probably would have told her how nervous he was feeling, how fragile his new status with Kate felt at this moment. He wished so that Kate was here, he really could use one of her patented hugs. His mind went off wondering what she would call one for this occasion, but then came crashing back to earth with the thought that she might never want to hug him again.

While his mind was drifting over these thoughts, he heard Alexis calling him. He opened his door to hear her yelling, "Dad, your phone is ringing!" He had left it on the counter last night and rushed up to it but it stopped ringing.

He picked it up and saw that Kate had called. 'Perfect!' he thought. 'She saw the photo and now thinks I'm avoiding her.'

His phone started to vibrate in his hand and he saw he had a text message. It was from Kate.

"Castle, answer your phone!"

As he walked back to his office his mind immediately started coming up with legitimate reasons why he didn't answer it, when it rang again. Her ringtone. He straightened himself up and tried to put on a happy face.

"Good Morning Kate." he said as he answered her call. "I thought you would still be sleeping..."

Kate broke in on him and asked, "Have you looked at your website this morning?"

"Huh?"

"Website. Have you looked at your website this morning?"

He furiously thought of something to say but his mind went blank. 'Great,' he thought, 'perfect time for writers block!'

All that came out of his mouth was "Umm."

"I'll take that as a yes." Kate said.

Castle sighed and said resignedly, "Yes. I have it up now but Alexis showed it to me last night."

On the other end of the line, Kate was having second thoughts. At first the thought of giving him a hard time seemed like fun, but she heard something in his voice that made her stop and decide to stop playing with him.

"Richard Castle, listen carefully to what I am about to say...I am not going anywhere."

He sank down in his chair in relief. "Thank you Kate." he said.

"For what? she asked. "We're partners, in a way that is uniquely us."

For the first time since he left her last night, Rick smiled. His chest felt too small to contain the happiness in his heart. "In a way that is uniquely us?" he asked.

"What can I say? she replied, "This great writer has been hanging around me for three years, I guess some of it rubbed off." Then suddenly, "Castle! Get your mind out of the gutter!" but he heard the smile in her voice.

"Kate, I want you to know I really am sorry that this happened so quickly. I hoped we'd have a little time to ourselves before it hit."

"So did I Rick. I had a long conversation with myself this morning wondering why I didn't want to shoot you."

"I'm glad you had that chat with yourself, I would have done all sorts of things to try and fix it and probably would have made it worse."

Kate gave a small laugh and said, "Maybe, but sometimes you really get it right. Last Friday was a good example of that."

By his voice she knew he had his thousand watt smile in place, "Miss Beckett, there hasn't been a day since we met that you haven't been a constant surprise to me."

"Good, Mr. Castle." she replied, "I don't plan for that to ever end."

His voice turned serious and he spoke softly, "Kate, no woman in my life has ever been as important to me as you. No one. Whatever may show up on the TV, the paper or the internet, never forget that; because I won't."

Her breath caught and she replied softly, "I won't."

She paused for a moment and was surprised at the amount of emotion she felt when she said, "Rick, I don't have a foot outside the door here. I'm all in."

He could barely speak he was so full of emotion. That one phrase told him more than a thousand words could ever do. He was about to say something when a huge yawn came out of his mouth.

Kate started to giggle as he tried and failed to stop another yawn. "You better get yourself back to sleep Rick, you'll need your rest for later."

"Later? he asked. "What's later?"

"Later is when you make this up to me by fixing the best dinner you ever made."

Rick could not contain his happiness, "You'll be here for dinner?" he asked.

"Just the foods that I like," she said, "but you will do all the preparation, cooking, serving and cleaning up. Not Alexis, not your mother, just you."

"But don't I get to enjoy eating with you?" he asked in such a way she knew he was pouting.

"In between all your chores; and before you complain, it's either that or I shoot you."

"What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I made you do all that paperwork?" he asked with a smile. "Your wish is my command."

"Hmmm, I like the way you think Mr. Castle", Kate replied. "I'll be there at 6:00."

Rick smiled and said, "I'll be waiting with bells on...or clothing if you prefer."

Kate could imagine his eyebrows wiggling as he said that. She felt her own wicked smile appear and said in a husky voice, "Surprise me." then hung up.

Rick put down his phone and pumped his arms in the air yelling "Yes! Yes! Yes!" as he came out of his office, ready to tackle the job at hand.

"I wonder what kind of hug she would have for this." he muttered to himself as he fixed a cup of coffee, bed and sleep all but forgotten in his want to make this the most perfect meal.

He stopped as a thought suddenly hit him with the force of a hammer. He knew the perfect gift for his perfect girlfriend. He rubbed his hands gleefully as he went back to his room to prepare for the day.

Sitting on the stairs Alexis watched her father rush to his bedroom. Her eyes were full of love and she had the biggest grin on her face.

"I bet all the songs make sense." she said as she headed back to her room to get ready for school. "Yeah, they totally make sense."

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**Authors Note:** For all of you who sent reviews but I didn't respond, I thank you very much. Hopefully I will get my act together, possibly more rest, and thank you properly...and I apologize to any Proctologists reading who may have been unintentionally insulted. :-)


	8. Chapter 8, Dinner is Served

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 8: Dinner is Served

by RGoodfellow64

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Castle, the characters or anything else associated with the show other than the merchandise they sell to the public…despite my numerous tries at winning the lottery.

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Kate stood in front of his door. She heard the muffled voices of Rick and his family and smiled at the excitement she heard in them. She lifted her hand and knocked.

Inside she heard an excited Alexis yell, "She's here!" and then barely heard Rick reply "She's one minute early, make her wait!"

Just before the door opened she heard Alexis say "Daaad!" as only a 17 year old daughter can. She smiled as she remembered so many times saying the same thing to her father when she was that age.

The door opened to an exuberant Alexis, "Kate! You're here! I'm so happy you came!" Kate could actually hear the exclamation points in her words.

In the kitchen Castle listened to his daughter and Kate and wondered when Detective Beckett became Kate, which reminded him that Alexis is picking up some of Kate's mannerisms, and when did she ever have the time to do that?

He turned from the stove and watched as Alexis took her coat, revealing Kate in her power heels, "skinny" jeans and a shimmering silk blouse. Castle just stared at her thinking she looked exquisite no matter what she wore as Alexis gave her a hug.

Her eyes met his and they silently spoke to each other in those few seconds before Martha got up from her stool, leaving her wine behind, and walked up to Kate.

"Kate, I am so glad you're here," Martha said in her own inimitable style.

Kate let go of Alexis and smiled at Rick's mother, "Martha, I am looking forward to dinner with you all tonight."

As Kate was speaking, Martha linked arms with her and led her to the living room couch. Castle, noticing this for the first time started to leave the kitchen when Alexis said, "Dad, the sauce is going to burn!" and he quickly ran back to the stove.

Kate was a bit apprehensive as Martha led her to the couch and gestured her to sit, but she did, waiting to see what Martha had to say. Martha settled in next to her when Alexis came in, sat next to her grandmother, and smiled at Kate as Martha began to speak in a soft voice.

"The fan is on in the kitchen dear, and as good as his hearing is, he won't be able to over hear our talk."

Kate looked at Martha in surprise. Except for the time Chet left her the million dollars, Martha was always the Broadway Diva every time Kate had seen her. Now she was different. Now there was no "acting", now was the real Martha she met that night so many weeks ago…this was Rick's mother talking.

"Kate, I want you to know that you have made my son very happy. Happier than I have ever known him to be with any other woman."

Kate exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding, "He's done the same for me Martha." she replied.

Martha smiled and patted Kate's knee, "I was beginning to despair that the two of you would ever find each other." she said. "When I heard you both had finally seen the light I was cautiously overjoyed."

Kate gave Martha a puzzled look, what does she mean by "cautiously overjoyed?"

Martha continued, "He isn't always Richard Castle with you dear, he is Richard Rogers. He still has the exuberance of a child, and we all know he can certainly act like one, but he is very vulnerable now."

Martha leaned towards Kate, hand still on her knee and said, "He can be hurt, he _has_ been hurt, but I do not believe that anyone has had the power to hurt him as much as you can."

Kate started to shake her head no but Martha continued, "Dear, I don't for a moment believe that you plan on hurting him. I've seen the way you two look at each other. If it wasn't such an overused expression I'd say you were definitely soul mates."

"What I am trying to say here is, for the first time, I see my son involved with a good, strong, caring woman. God knows you have to be strong to be able to keep up with and match him, and Kate, you are the only woman I have ever met who compliments him in all the right ways."

At this, Martha looked at Alexis, "And other than myself, you are the only woman he has ever allowed to know, let alone get close to, Alexis. That, my dear, tells me more than anything that you are what he has been searching for all these years. In a moment of weakness he once told me he had given up on finding his "forever"...I think he found her, and I think you found yours too."

Kate didn't know how to respond. She and Rick had only started being a couple six days earlier, but then she thought about it and corrected herself. Since they met he's been chipping away at her walls, and they _have_ been more like a couple than anything else.

She finally spoke up, "Martha, I don't...I really don't know what to say…"

Before she could continue Martha interrupted her, "Kate, you don't have to say anything." She put her other hand on Alexis, "We just wanted you to know that we are happy that you and Richard are together, that you have found happiness with each other, and that we support you both. What we are simply saying dear, is welcome to our world."

Martha smiled and patted Kate's and Alexis's knees, "And now we have a premier to attend!" Martha was back to being a Diva again.

"You're not staying for dinner?" Kate asked.

"No dear, a friend of mine is opening a new play tonight and I promised to support him. Alexis and I will attend the play while you and Rick enjoy his cooking." While Alexis looked at her grandmother in alarm, Martha leaned towards Kate and said in a stage whisper, "He really is a good cook."

At that, Martha stood up, pulling Alexis with her. "Come dear, we need to leave soon to be at the theater on time."

Alexis gave Kate a last "help me" look as Martha led her towards the kitchen.

"Richard, darling, Alexis and I are leaving and I want you to take extra good care of Kate tonight. We are very fond of her and expect you to be a perfect gentleman at all times!"

With that she downed her glass of wine, picked up her purse and walked to the door. Alexis sighed, picked up her purse and followed her grandmother to the closet, and putting on their coats they opened the door to leave.

Martha had the last word, "Enjoy your dinner Kate...and we really must have lunch together sometime soon...a nice…long…lunch." With that, she shut the door and Kate was alone with Rick.

Rick took the sauce pan off the stove and walked out of the kitchen towards Kate, a white towel draped over his arm.

"Good evening Miss Beckett", he said with a huge smile. "I am so very happy that you are able to be here tonight."

Kate smiled back at him and replied, "Well, I have heard that Chez Castle has very good food."

She turned and looked at the dining table, set up for two with candles lit and added, "And the atmosphere is definitely romantic."

Rick heard the smile in her voice and came over to give her a hug and kiss. When they pulled back he simply stared at her, she saw his irises expand and his eyes fill with emotion as he said, "You _are_ extraordinary."

Kate, blushing, kept looking in his eyes, feeling she could dive into them and never want to come up again. She gave a grin and said, "You're not too bad yourself Mr. Castle." She gave him another quick kiss and asked, "What smells so incredibly delicious?"

With their arms still around each other and her familiar fragrance of cherries still in his nostrils, Rick couldn't think of anything more delicious than standing there with Kate in his arms. He looked into her eyes and found it incredibly difficult to look away. 'I could dive in them and never want to come up again' he thought.

Kate gave a little smile and said, "Rick?"

"Oh! Sorry, yes, food! Well we have…wait! How did you distract me like that? What did my mother want? She didn't make you uncomfortable, did she?

Kate gave little smile and said, "It's just 'girl' talk Rick. I'm sure it's nothing you'd be interested in."

A sudden glint came into her eye as she slowly ran her hand down his arm, "Why Mr. Castle! Do you find me distracting?" and gave a throaty chuckle.

She watched as different emotions flashed across his face and felt a sense of victory knowing that she had the same affect on him that he had on her. It made her feel incredibly sexy and she felt her heart flutter in response.

'Hmmm, ok Kate, back to earth' she thought. "So, are we going to stand here all night or do you plan to feed me?" she asked with a smile.

Making a dramatic gesture Rick smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand, bowed and offered Kate his arm to walk to the table.

Kate smiled and took his arm, thinking how easy it was to get his mind off what Martha had said. She felt both warmed and uneasy with that conversation.

Warmed, that Martha and Alexis welcomed her into their home, their lives and felt comfortable sharing Rick with her. Uneasy, for the same reason. Was this going too fast? Why did people assume that now they were together, they were "forever?"

'Well how do _you_ feel about it Kate?' she asked herself, and found she was thinking the same way. Although this was new, she never felt this kind of security before…it felt like "forever."

As he pulled her chair out for her to sit, Rick asked if she was ready to start her meal.

"Yes! It smells so good, and I'm famished." she readily agreed.

He raised one eyebrow and looked at her with the same softness that made her knees weak. "Typical Beckett lunch of gummy bears and a granola bar?" he asked.

She picked the fine, soft napkin from her plate and swatted him with it. "Food!" she said laughing.

He returned shortly from the kitchen with a tray holding two small dishes and two glasses of wine. He placed a plate and glass in front of her and one in the seat next to her for himself and sat down.

Kate bent her head to the plate to breath in the aroma. It smelled delicious. She raised her head to see him smiling at her with what she was quickly beginning to think of as the "Castle look". He picked up his glass and offered a toast.

"To open and honest." he said. "To us." She clinked her glass to his and took a sip.

"To start my dear detective, we have Crabmeat-Parmesan Canapés, served with a white Bordeaux." The wine was delicious and he told her to go ahead and start eating, which she gladly did. One bite and she knew this would be a meal to remember.

"Mmmm, these are so good!" she said, giving a little moan after taking the first bite. "Where did you get them?"

"Made 'em from scratch" he said proudly. She gave him what he had always thought of as "the Beckett look" when she wasn't quite sure he was serious or not. "Really. These were a snap, but it took me three tries to get the sauce right."

Kates eyes crinkled with laughter and she said, "Sauce?" She looked at her plate which held no sauce.

His mouth full of food Rick nodded and mumbled, "Fer later."

Kate gave him a big smile and said, "Please give my compliments to the chef." She put her hand on his and said, "You are making real good progress in making up to me Mr. Castle."

Rick gave a big smile and took away their plates and glasses. Kate was surprised to find both were empty, but Rick quickly returned with two small soup crocks with what could only be French Onion soup. He placed that and another glass in front of her.

She could not get enough of the aromas surrounding her and he chuckled as she bent down to get a better whiff of the soup. "Now this as you can see is French Onion soup, and it is served with a Beaujolais Villages. I hope you like the wine I chose, I don't care for many other wines with this soup."

Kate started to eat the soup and took a sip of the wine. "Wow Rick, this really does go well with it." She almost felt torn on which to enjoy first, the soup or the wine.

While Kate was enjoying her soup, Rick was glancing in her direction. It had only been six days since he decided to throw caution to the wind and put his real feelings out there, quite possibly for the first time in his life. He recalled how terrified he was to make that move but now, sitting here with Kate by his side, he so wished he had done it sooner.

"Probably wouldn't have worked" she said putting down her spoon.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Our getting together earlier."

He sat there with a spoon full of soup halfway to his open mouth and stared at her. 'How does she _do_ that?' he thought.

Kate smiled and helped him put the spoon in his mouth. "Honestly, after all this time working together, you still wonder how I know these things? Trained detective." Her voice softened, "Plus I have been watching you for three years, kinda like what you've been doing to me."

"Why wouldn't it have worked?" he asked.

"As much as we cared, we didn't care enough." she replied. "As much as we wanted it, we didn't want it enough."

Rick shook his head no and said, "Oh Kate, I really…"

Kate put her hand on his. "We didn't want to go here this past weekend, but I think we can tonight. It didn't take too long after you started shadowing me that I began to appreciate you, well at least some part of you. You could still be pretty obnoxious, but by the time of the Coonan case, I already would have missed you if you left."

Rick just sat and listened, knowing this was important for her to say, and for him to hear. He turned his hand over and clasped hers.

"You were constantly flirting with me, throwing sexual innuendo's left and right, but still there was that serious part of you, Alexis' dad, who listened to me when I needed it, who helped me solve cases and who I found myself opening up to more and more. Rick, in the first six weeks you shadowed me, I opened up more to you about myself than I had to anyone in the past nine years."

Rick looked surprised and continued to give her non verbal support.

"I was starting to look at you differently when you slept with Ellie Monroe." Rick gave a grimace as he remembered that time.

"That's when I decided to seriously start looking for someone to be my partner in life. Someone I could trust."

When Kate said that Rick felt so ashamed. Even though he wasn't aware, she was putting her trust in him and he threw it back, in the worst way possible.

"Kate, I…"

She saw the despair in his face and interrupted.

"Rick." she said softly, "I'm not saying this to make you feel bad. I want you to understand, I want you to realize what this is from my perspective. How important this, and you, are to me."

He nodded his head as she continued. "I actually wrote up a long list of what I thought would make the perfect boyfriend, or perfect potential mate. A few weeks later we ran into Tom and as I got to know him, he seemed to fill all the requirements. I didn't realize that just because a piece of paper said he was right, my heart wouldn't feel the same."

She immediately squeezed his hand, "I know I hurt you when I lied about the weekend with Tom, just know that I have never, and will never do that to you again."

He nodded his head and was surprised to feel tears in his eyes. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze, softly said, "excuse me", and removed their empty plates. He quickly returned with a salad of dark greens and the bottle of Beaujolais Villages. He poured the rest of the bottle in their glasses and they ate.

They finished their salad, occasionally sipping their wine, content in the quietness of just being together. When they finished Rick brought back their glasses and dishes and returned with the main course and two new glasses, along with a bottle of wine.

While he did that, Kate realized that she had never before been so at ease with the quiet. She gave a soft smile as she thought it was Rick who led her to this, who also felt at ease not having to fill the silence with chatter. How different from being Castle, who she has to threaten to be quiet for just a few minutes.

When he returned he did not put the food and wine down but stood there till she looked up at him. "My dear Kate, and believe me when I say you are so dear to me, I am no longer that man. It may sound cliché, but if it wasn't for you, I still would be."

She looked at him, touched his arm and said softly, "I know."

He placed the meal in front of her and the empty glass, sat down and poured her another glass of wine. "You are about to enjoy Grilled Chicken and Potato Straw Cake with a Tarragon Cream Sauce on the side, served with a Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon. This is the sauce that caused me so much grief today, well, about as much as Paula."

"Paula?" Kate asked.

"She may be the best Publicist in the business, but she kept calling at the worst times! I almost had the sauce right on the second try when she called and the whole thing burned!" he said in a grumpy voice.

He gave a slight pout and said, "She should know better than to call when I'm cooking."

Kate laughed and said, "Really Rick? It's Paula's fault you had to make it three times?"

He smiled and said, "Of course! You don't expect me to blame myself do you? It has to be her fault! C'mon, dig in, this should be really good."

For the next few minutes, the only sounds heard were the little sighs of pleasure from both as they ate their dinner. Kate was amazed and touched at how he had carefully paired each wine with the dinner courses; but was very happy there was enough food, as she surely didn't want to drink too much, even if she did come by taxi.

Halfway through her chicken, and feeling the need to clarify something, she put down her fork and looked at him. "Rick, Tom never stood a chance when it came to you."

He looked up surprised. "I thought you preferred him to me Kate, you were going to go away for the weekend."

"When it came to losing you or spending time with Tom, there was never really any choice. You know I chose you over him, we went over that before, but when you returned last fall, still with Gina, I just felt I needed someone, anyone in my life. One weekend after you returned I met Josh when I stopped to fill up my Harley."

"I know you really cared for him Kate." Rick said softly, not looking into her eyes.

"Rick, I told you I had one foot out the door. The entire time we dated we never talked about work, well I never talked about my work, and he couldn't stop talking about his. Honestly there were times I wondered why on earth I ever went out with him."

She paused and said, "The connection I was longing for just wasn't there with him."

She grabbed his hand again, "Rick, _you_ were there for me, Always. That word may not mean much to anyone else, but to me it means the world."

"Richard Castle, or Richard Alexander Rogers, you mean the world to me."

Kate let go of his hand and continued to eat. Rick on the other hand just stared at her with his mouth open.

Seeing that, she gave a smile and put a forkful of chicken in his mouth. Suddenly he realized what was happening and started to chew. Kate smiled and continued with her meal saying, "Rick, you really have outdone yourself tonight. I have never had a meal that tasted this good before. Really."

Rick smiled and said, "There are still two more courses to go, some mild cheeses to cleanse the palate and then dessert…damn!"

Kate was surprised at his outburst and said, "What's wrong?"

"I forgot the romantic music!" Rick said. "How can I make this dinner special without romantic music?" and he got up to put on the CD he'd chosen.

Kate laughed, waited till he returned to his chair and took his hand. "Hey, it isn't the music that makes this meal special, it's the man who made it. Now shut up and eat."

Rick smiled and did as she suggested; finishing his chicken, he asked Kate what she thought of the chicken and sauce.

"Delicious! Rick, if the rest of this meal is as good as what I've had, I can officially let you off the hook." She leaned over to him and said "come here." When he leaned towards her she kissed him.

Neither realized that they were both thinking the same thing. How great it felt to simply be able to kiss the other, at any time. This was something they both dreamed of for a long time. Kate practically luxuriated in the feeling.

"You chalked up a lot of points with this dinner tonight mister." she said with a smile.

Rick threw her another kiss and finished his chicken. When he offered to take her plate she was surprised that not only was the plate empty, but so was her glass and the bottle of wine.

"Be right back with the cheese." Rick said and hurried off to the kitchen.

A few minutes later he returned with a platter filled with at least a dozen different cheeses, and yet another bottle of wine and glasses.

"Are you trying to get me drunk Mr. Castle?" she asked. "Because I spent a summer in Russia and believe me, it isn't going to work."

Rick laughed and said, "Kate Beckett. Although at one time I would have considered doing so, I will never try to get you drunk unless you want me to."

She gave him a grin and said, "Deal."

He put the platter down between them and poured the wine. "You will now enjoy something to cleanse your palate before dessert. These cheeses come from France and the wine is a Napa Valley Merlot."

He put up his hands dramatically and said, "I know, I know, French cheese and California wine, but you will enjoy it. Trust me."

Kate gave him a smile and said softly, "Always." as she took a sip of the wine and grabbed a piece of cheese.

Rick's eyes widened when she said that and he simply looked at her, his eyes, if possible, more blue than she'd ever seen them.

He broke out of his trance and said something uniquely Castle. "I have a T-shirt upstairs that I bought years ago, but I've only worn it twice."

"Oh?" said Kate, "What is it?"

It has the silhouette of two people on it, their heads together and wine glasses in their hand. The caption reads "Kiss French, Drink California."

Kate burst out laughing, it struck her funny bone and she didn't hold anything back. Rick was thrilled he'd made her laugh. He loved to see her face and hear her when she did. It was so rare to see over these past years, but he realized it had happened more in this past week than he could remember this whole year.

She smiled as she calmed down and said, "I think I would really like to see you in that Mr. Castle."

Rick bowed his head and replied, "Then you shall, my dear Kate, then you shall."

Kate shook her head and said, "Writers."

Rick just smiled and said, "Are you ready for dessert?"

"Not if it's too rich. I don't know when I've eaten such a big meal."

Rick solemnly nodded his head and said, "Gummybearitis. It will take a few more home cooked meals, but I'm willing if you are."

Kate smiled at him and suddenly he saw her eyes change. Her irises got so big he hardly saw any green around them, and she threw him a kiss. Then, still looking at him with those smoky eyes she said, "With that offer, Mr. Castle, the problem will be getting me to leave."

She continued to look him in the eyes and finally it was he who broke contact. He was falling so far into them he thought. 'I can spend my life looking into your eyes.'

Kate gave a little "hmmm" and said, "I can spend my life looking into yours too Rick."

He blinked his eyes and said, "Did I say that out loud?"

Kate merely smiled and said, "What's for dessert?"

Rick pulled himself together and took away the cheese, then returned in a minute with two dessert cups filled with liquid and fruit.

"For dessert my dear Kate, we have strawberries in red wine, with fresh made whipped cream."

"Strawberries in wine?" she asked. "Rick, I haven't had that in ages! Ok, you are officially forgiven." Then she dug in to her dessert, giving a little moan of pleasure as she ate the first one.

"Do not tell me you have truffles, I might just die."

Rick looked at the breakfast bar where a crystal bowl sat filled with various flavors of chocolate truffles. He smiled and said, "As a matter of fact…"

Kate gave a chuckle and replied, "You're going to need a calculator to add up the points you made tonight!" Then with a big smile ate another strawberry with obvious pleasure.

Rick didn't say anything as he was thinking this had to be the best day of his life. Then he thought about the last six days and realized that every minute he had spent with Kate was the best in his life.

Kate caught him staring off into space and said, "Me too." This made him turn to her again with a quizzical look, wondering, 'how does she _do_ that!'

Kate smiled at him and asked, "So why did Paula keep calling?"

"She saw the photo and wanted to know why I hadn't called her with the news. She had all sorts of ideas on how to break it to the public, "the new Queen of Rick's Castle" or "Rick has found his own Heat", all of which I squelched immediately."

Kate stiffened when he started to speak but relaxed when she realized that Rick was not going to allow Paula to capitalize on their relationship. "So she kept calling to get you to change your mind?"

"Well that, and she really wanted all sorts of information to hand out to the press." He smiled as he recalled his response and Kate felt a little thrill knowing that he was doing his best to protect her. "I asked if she was ready for my official quote, and when she said she was I told her that officially, I was not happy that she called and ruined my second try at the Tarragon Cream Sauce."

He chuckled and said, "Can you imagine? She hung up on me!"

Kate laughed along with him. She realized that at some point she would have to deal with Paula and with Rick's fame, but for now she was insulated from it…by a pair of very comfortable arms.

Suddenly she needed a hug and stood up.

Rick looked up at her and said "What?"

She gestured for him to stand up and when he did she put her arms out to her sides. He immediately knew what she wanted and moved into a hug. Kate silently sighed in pleasure. She so loved being held by him.

This was not a "polite" hug, but a loving hug. From their legs to their shoulders, arms tight around each other, they were that close. As she closed her eyes the thought popped in, 'this is an I am so glad we are together hug.'

Inside she smiled. She never, ever thought of naming a hug. Who would do something like that? But this, what she and Rick had was so special, so big, it brought out emotions she never knew she had, and so many others she had locked away years ago. His arms filled her with comfort, security and love. Her mother used to hug her like this, no one since, and she'd missed them so much.

With Rick they were also fun. 'Rick Castle made them fun, he must be my one and done.' She gave a little hiccup of surprise, did she just write a bad teenage poem?

Their arms around each other and lost in their own thoughts, they didn't hear the key in the lock but did hear the door open to Alexis saying, "Gram, how could you tell him it was good? I almost ran out of the theater!"

Martha was about to reply when she saw Rick and Kate jump apart. A smile appeared on her face and she realized that Kate Beckett made her very happy too.

"Are you two still eating?" she asked. "It's almost midnight!"

Kate looked at her watch and indeed, it was a few minutes to midnight. "It is!" she exclaimed. Looking at Rick she said, "I have to leave. We have to be in early tomorrow."

As Rick looked at the truffles on the breakfast bar she put her hand on his arm, "Another time Rick" she said. "We have…"

"Forever" he said, finishing her sentence.

She smiled up at him and whispered, "Yes."

Rick then went to the phone and called the guard to send for a taxi.

After saying goodnight to Martha and Alexis, Rick walked Kate to the elevator and to the front door. Once the taxi arrived, he got in with her and they rode together to her apartment, holding hands and simply enjoying being together. There was no need for talk, the occasional glance said it all.

When they arrived, Rick asked the driver to wait and he walked her into the building; their hands clasped tight, they felt quietly at ease in the elevator to the door of her apartment. As she opened it, she turned and gave him a long, goodnight kiss. It easily grew into something more, but they knew they had time.

Kate put her head on his shoulder and said, "Thank you Rick, it was a wonderful evening, better than I ever imagined. You really outdid yourself for me."

Rick placed a kiss on her forehead, enjoying the sensuous feel of her hair with its enticing cherry aroma, he whispered, "Always."

They kissed once more, slowly, each movement of their lips magnified by the feelings they had for each other.

Rick gave a sigh and pulled away. Looking into his eyes Kate saw so much; everything he ever wanted to say, and everything she ever wanted to hear.

Entire books were revealed in those eyes and she grasped them all in a second. This was forever.

She leaned back into her doorway as he pulled away.

"Goodnight Rick."

"Until tomorrow…" he paused and smiled, "rather, till later this morning, Kate."

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**Authors Note:** When I started writing this chapter it became so complicated and convoluted, I realized I was trying to squeeze two chapters into one. Once separated they played nice, so part of 9 is written. For those who wanted to know the 'perfect gift' Rick thought of in Chapter 7, you have to wait till number 9 (shades of the White Album!). Hope you can wait though, I'm on vacation this week. Hmmm, maybe I should have said thanks to all who review and mark this as favorite before I said I'm going away. :-)


	9. Chapter 9, Shrink wrapped

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 9, Friday

By RGoodfellow64

**Disclaimer: The Lottery still hasn't come through so needless to say I still don't own Castle, ABC or anything else associated with the show except what they let me buy retail. Bummer.**

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Detective Kate Beckett arrived at work earlier than usual. Not that she didn't sleep well, but by getting to work early she felt it would be that much sooner till she saw Castle.

Riding the elevator she had a smile on her face as she was reliving dinner at Chez Castle last night. Quite possibly the most romantic and wonderful dinner she ever had. 'Just the first for the rest of my life' she thought. She suddenly paused in her thoughts. 'Rest of my life? Am I moving too fast?'

But the anxiety she felt with other men, the need for an escape route, didn't materialize; she knew that her heart felt secure. This past week was far more intense than anything she had ever experienced in any relationship before, and yet she felt so comfortable, so content, she stopped worrying about how she thought she should feel and decided to simply enjoy _being_ with Rick Castle.

'It's only been one week', she told herself, then corrected, 'Well, three years and a week, but what a week!' She couldn't help but smile at the wonderful change in her life.

As she entered the bullpen, the late night crew greeted her with nods or the occasional "Morning, Detective", and everyone noticed she returned them with a smile…and she had a noticeable bounce to her step. A few of them looked to each other after she passed and wondered how long it would last.

"Yo, Beckett. You're in early." Esposito said as she walked to her desk.

She was surprised to see him in earlier than she was, and even more surprised when she noticed Ryan sitting at his desk, looking at his monitor.

"Morning guys," she replied, "what are doing here so early? We got a case?"

"Nah, Ryan here has some new shots of him and Jenny and wanted to show me before it got busy. Wanna see?"

"Sure" she said with a smile, and headed over to Ryan's desk.

Ryan with a big smile on his face moved his chair over so they could get a good look and clicked on the first one. "This was yesterday afternoon at the park," he said, "I bought her a balloon." Beckett and Esposito looked at the photo of Ryan and Jenny and said "Awww" at the same time. Beckett added, "You two are just so cute together" and smiled at Ryan who gave a proud grin as he clicked on the next photo.

Ryan said, "We asked some kid to take our picture while biting into a foot long hot dog." He gave a shy smile and said, "Jenny kissed the mustard off my chin."

Esposito just rolled his eyes at that and muttered, "whipped" but Beckett gave him a light punch on his arm and said, "That's precious!" and smiled back at Ryan.

She was getting ready to head to her desk when Esposito said, "Wait, there's one more…" and she turned back to the monitor as Ryan clicked the next photo.

She saw the blurred and grainy photo of herself and Castle at Remy's last Friday and gave a little gasp of astonishment.

She looked at Ryan with eyes that were suddenly hard and asked, "Do you belong to Castle's web site?"

Ryan didn't meet her eyes and gulped, but Esposito said softly, "Kate, this went viral sometime last night. It's on Page 6 and all over the net."

Beckett knew it wasn't good when Esposito used her first name. He didn't often show his big brother side, and usually only did when he was very concerned.

"You're phone's been ringing off the hook, probably got a couple dozen messages by now. There it goes again."

Kate looked at her phone and was puzzled, she didn't hear her ring. Esposito pointed to Ryan and said, "Kev did something with the software and shut off your ringer. We had to when your phone wouldn't stop ringing…you can still see the light blink when you get a call though."

She looked at Ryan who gave a smile and said, "Not as much fun as the old phones, they had a real ringer you could take out of them, it was pretty funny."

Esposito gave him a suspicious look and asked, "Are you the one who did that to my phone back then?" Ryan rolled his eyes at him answering, "Dude, we were in different precincts!"

Beckett mentally shook herself, thinking, 'Ok Kate, you are a chief detective of the NYPD, you are fully trained to handle any emergency. This should be a…be a…what? Snap? Piece of cake?' Suddenly strawberries in wine popped into her mind and she gave a sight smile that quickly disappeared as the light on her phone started blinking again.

She gave a tight smile and headed towards her desk asking herself how bad it can be.

Three minutes and 14 calls later she knew it was pretty bad. She had to listen to at least the first few seconds of each call in case it was police business, but so far none of them were. "Nikki! This is Bill Trem…" CLICK "Kate! This is Bob Mer…" CLICK "This is Nora Roberts from channel…" CLICK "Miss Beckett, I'm Steve Paulson from NY Society Today and…" CLICK. 'I am _Detective_ Beckett', she thought angrily. 'That is not just handed to you in the NYPD, you work your butt off and _earn_ it!'

Ryan and Esposito watched as Beckett kept deleting calls. They could see the emotions on her face as she went from confident to upset to angry to frustrated to concerned to apprehensive to something they had never seen…uncertain.

All the while Kate was listening to the first few words and deleting them till she heard a familiar voice. "Kate, stop for a moment and take a deep breath." Castle? How did he know she needed to hear his voice? "I know you've probably hung up on about two dozen or more obnoxious calls and you're full of conflicting feelings right now, but remember that we're partners, and there is nothing that _we_ can't handle together. I have already put Paula on the case to stop the calls to you and I will be there soon with your coffee and bear claw."

She couldn't help but smile, even though she prided herself on her independence, on her ability to handle emergencies, this was something so outside her experience that she felt she was losing herself, that she was being pulled by a riptide into something unknown and frightening. Her emotions responded immediately to Castle; this was her partner, the one person in the world she knew without a doubt she can count on. She looked at her still blinking phone and thought, 'You guys are toast!' and smiled.

As she saved Castle's message, Ryan and Esposito couldn't help but see how she suddenly sat back in her chair and the Detective they knew was back. They smiled as they saw her start deleting calls again.

A few minutes later, Captain Montgomery walked out of his office towards Beckett. Esposito looked at Ryan with surprise. They had no idea the Captain was in this early.

"Detective Beckett, I need to see you in my office please." Montgomery said.

Beckett looked up in surprise, nodded her head and followed him into his office, closing the door behind her at his request.

"Please sit down Detective," the Captain asked. "There's something we need to discuss." While he said that he turned his monitor around so Beckett could see the photo of herself and Castle at Remy's the week before.

"Sir, I can explain…" she started to say, but Montgomery stopped her and said, "Kate. No one was happier than me when you and Castle finally realized what the rest of us have known for the past few years."

Beckett sat there with her mouth open, shook her head and said, "Sir?"

"About 4am I received a call from the Commissioner, he told me to go on a certain web site and look at this photo. Now before you get worried, we both agreed that this was after hours and on personal time. You were not on duty and you were not on call." Montgomery said.

"The Commissioner and I talked it over for a while and determined that this had nothing to do with the NYPD." Kate looked relieved when he said that. "But, it can have a detrimental affect on the 12th Precinct."

Beckett leaned forward in her chair and said, "Sir. I am beginning to see what you mean. I have already deleted more than two dozen calls for a quote from "Nikki Heat".

Montgomery gave a tight smile and said, "You and Castle make a great team. I doubt there is anyone in this precinct who will not stand up for you both. But the press is not going to want to leave this alone, especially if Castle is with you on a case."

She looked at the Captain with worry, "Sir. Castle has been a very big help to our team. He has been instrumental in solving quite a few cases, as you know."

She pulled her thought together and continued. "I know he can be a pain but do you really want to ban him from our cases?"

Montgomery smiled and said, "No. Don't for a second worry about that, I wasn't going there. What I am trying to say is that they will be around you and him like piranha looking for something true or that they can make up about the two of you at work."

He looked into her eyes and said, "Kate, all I am saying is I want you both to constantly be on your guard, and be professional at all times, here in the precinct and out at a crime scene."

Beckett nodded her head and said, "Yes sir. We can do that. I know Castle will never want to do anything that may compromise a case, or embarrass the department. You can count on us."

Montgomery nodded and said, "Thank you Detective. That's all I wanted to say, you may take some ribbing from time to time, but remember you're one of us and we have your back here."

She thanked him as she got up from the chair and headed towards the door. He also got up, joined her at the door and gave a sigh, "Too bad this didn't happen three weeks ago though, I'd have won a bundle!"

Beckett looked back at the Captain in surprise. "Sir? I'm sorry?" Then a bit flustered by what he said, opened the door to go back to her desk.

As she started to leave the Captain's office she saw Castle arrive at her desk trying to balance a huge box wrapped in bright, gaudy paper and a giant yellow bow, two large cups of coffee and a bag with her bear claw in it.

She turned to the Captain standing next to her and couldn't think of a thing to say. She'd told him they would be professional and…

Montgomery looked at Castle, then turned to Beckett and said, "It may take him longer to understand what professional means." Then added with a smile, "I'll let you explain it to him." He gave her a grin and returned to his office, closing the door behind him.

Beckett shook her head, looked at Castle and thinking, 'Why am I not surprised?' headed towards her desk…and Castle, with a smile on her face that she quickly dropped when she saw him looking at her.

When she got to her desk she looked at Castle and said "What's that?"

He gave her a puzzled look and said, "Huh? Your coffee."

Taking it from him and using it as a pointer she said, "I know it's my coffee, what's _that_?"

He still had that puzzled look on his face. "That's my coffee."

"Castle!"

"Oh," he said smiling, "this is your bear claw!"

Now she knew he was playing with her. "The box Castle! What's with the box?"

He looked at the large box on the floor by his chair and replied, "Oh this? Nothing for you to worry about detective, this box isn't for you."

She sat down abruptly in her chair. She didn't expect that. He is her boyfriend, scratch that, her partner, and she just assumed that the large box was something for her. Now her mind started to go in the opposite direction, why should she think any present he brought into the precinct was for her. 'Cause he's not dating Esposito or Ryan' she thought to herself, 'and he did tell me he fully intended to spoil me.'

She decided to get back to her work and said, "Don't let it get in the way of anyone, put it on an empty desk somewhere."

"Oh I can't do that!" he replied. "This is way too valuable to just leave sitting on a desk somewhere."

She gave him what she knew was considered the Beckett glare and said, "This is a police station. It isn't going to walk away."

He shook his head and smiled. "Nuh unh. No can do. I'll keep it here with me, no one will trip over it."

She leaned towards him and said in her most authoritarian voice, "Castle!"

He leaned towards her and said in a mild voice, "Beckett."

She leaned closer and said, "Rick!"

He leaned closer to her and softly said, "Kate."

They sat there for a few moments staring into each other's eyes. His blue eyes were full of emotion, and she felt her green eyes falling into them. The way he said her name was like a caress, she never thought something so simple would have such a profound affect on her.

Ryan and Esposito sat at their desks with smiles on their faces. Ryan leaned over and said, "Think we should break that up so she can get some work done?"

They grinned and gave each other fist bumps but before they could get up Becket pulled away and sat straight in her chair.

"Fine Castle, leave it there. But if anyone trips on it you pay the medical bills!"

He smiled, took a sip of his coffee and said, "Duly noted detective. Duly noted."

As she turned back to her desk she quietly said to him, "Thanks for your call. It helped more than you can imagine."

He looked at her in silence till she turned her eyes to his and he mouthed their word, "Always."

As she smiled back at him Castle said, "The calls should start tapering off and hopefully stop soon. Paula has been like a pit bull on every paper, radio and TV station, both in the city and outside of it."

She smiled, took a big sip of her coffee and said, "Thanks Castle. It started to get a little weird if you know what I mean."

She took another look at the large box he placed in front of his chair but since he didn't say anything else about it, she just took another sip of her coffee and opened the bag for her bear claw.

"Want me to screen your calls?" he asked with a bit more enthusiasm than she wanted to see.

"No. But you can screen the rest of the messages."

"Yes!" he said as he picked up the receiver and started to listen to the calls. Soon he was happily deleting calls and she was able to concentrate on her paperwork.

After a few minutes he softly said, "Kate? This last was a new call. How come your phone isn't ringing?"

She gave him a puzzled look and said, "Gee Castle, it must have worn out from all the abuse." His eyes widened and she could tell when he started to think how many calls it would take to make her phone stop ringing.

She smiled and said, "Castle you are way too easy! Ryan disabled the ringer this morning; it was too much distraction for my 'team' over there." She nodded her head in the direction of Esposito and Ryan. "He'll turn it on again when these calls stop." She noticed the light was blinking again, gave a sigh, said "I'll be right back," and left.

The moment she did Castle jumped up and said to Ryan and Esposito, "Guys, guys! Come here."

As they rushed over to Castle he picked up the box, opened the bottom and lifted it up, exposing a slightly smaller box inside, wrapped in the same paper with the same bow on it. Other than a slight size difference, it looked exactly the same.

"Can you get rid of this before she comes back?" he asked.

Ryan nodded and took away the box, folding it carefully as he knew Jenny would like it.

"How'd you do that bro?" Esposito asked. "That is way cool."

Castle smiled and said, "Alexis and I stayed up late last night, it gets smaller and smaller but each box looks the same." He gave a soft smile and continued, "Alexis made sure that the bows were tied the same and the pattern on the paper matched on each box. She figured Kate would notice any difference."

Ryan returned and said, "But she's bound to notice as they get smaller."

Castle shrugged his shoulders and said, "That's what I told her, but she didn't care. They _had_ to be the same." He gave a strained smile as he added, "She is growing up way too fast."

Esposito patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry bro, when you need a shotgun we can help." He gave Castle a grin and Ryan nodded his head in agreement.

Beckett walked back and asked, "What's going on here?"

Castle quickly answered, "They wanted to know about the box, but since it isn't for them I told them it's none of their business."

Esposito picked up the ball and said, "Way to be part of the team Castle."

Ryan added, "Payback it a b..i..t..c..h"

Esposito looked at him, rolled his eyes, and said, "Come on" as they headed back to their desks.

Beckett shook her head looking at them, then back at Castle, and returned to her desk.

Castle sat down trying to keep the gleeful smile off his face. She didn't notice a thing!

Beckett started on her paperwork wondering what Castle was up to. She knew the present was for her since he had gone to all the trouble of wrapping a second, but slightly smaller box, exactly the same. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself. He had no idea she realized what he was doing.

She returned her eyes to her paperwork, anyone looking at her would think she was deep in the details of whatever case she was finishing, but inside she felt like a princess on her sixteenth birthday. Although she denied it, she liked to be pleasantly surprised, she had yearned for romance but never allowed it to happen and now…Bam! She was smack dab in the middle of an ocean of romance…and she loved it.

Kate Beckett allowed herself a few seconds to wallow in the feelings of being courted. This is what Rick Castle is doing. Her soul had cried out for it and he was the only one who listened. 'He peeled away more layers than he knows' she said to herself. Her eyes gazing over the babushka doll he bought for her last year.

Her eyes widened. _That_ is what he is doing! A babushka present? How many boxes are inside? She looked over at him as he deleted another call and thought, 'damn, I've got it bad. Only one week, well, three years and one week, and he's made me a puddle.' She gave a happy sigh as she went back to her paperwork.

Castle looked at her through the corner of his eye. He knows her moods and that was a happy sigh she just gave; he hoped it was for him.

He deleted the last message and Ryan came over to reset the ringtone on her phone. While he did this Beckett went into the break room to freshen her coffee and Castle decided to go along with her. As he got up to follow he got Ryan's attention, pointed to the box on the floor and raised his index finger as if to say "remove one more layer". Ryan nodded his head as Castle followed Beckett into the break room.

When he entered the break room Castle said, "Kate, I am so sorry that this happened. I never wanted you to be blindsided like this."

Hearing the sadness in his voice she replied, "A few weeks ago I probably would have panicked, but today? I'm doing something that I never did before…I decided to let someone else take control, someone who knows how dangerous these unfamiliar streets can be and who can navigate safely though them."

She turned from the counter and looked in his eyes. "I decided to do something you never do," she gave him a smile, "listen to my partner."

He smiled at her and she saw the change in his eyes. They were suddenly heavy with emotion. 'This is not lust, it's not simply want,' she said to herself. 'This is so much more…he doesn't just love me, he is _in_ _love_ with me.'

She realized he was speaking, "…and you know I will do everything I can to make that change as smooth and easy as possible." He grinned and added, "Think of it this way, the longer we're together the less we'll be news. Really. It's in your best interest to stay with me forever."

He put his hand on his heart, and giving her a noble look of sacrifice said, "I'm only thinking of you." Then he blinked his eyes several times, which made her laugh.

She started to walk past him out the door and patted his chest saying, "Ok Tonto. But since I carry the gun, I get to be the Lone Ranger."

He turned and started after her, "Wait! Why can't I be the Lone Ranger. I don't have a white horse but I have a red Ferrari! That is so much cooler!"

She continued to her desk and he followed saying, "Beckett! Come on!"

When she reached her desk, she gave a quick glance and as she suspected, the box was smaller than when she left. She gave no sign that she was aware of the change and sat down to the never ending pile of paperwork.

Castle sat in his chair and gave a little pout but was almost giddy as his plan was working to perfection. The box was smaller and she still didn't notice. He thought about patting himself on the back but remembered where he was…and that he hadn't done yoga in about 15 years. Nope. Just sit here and silently congratulate himself. He could so do that.

Beckett's phone rang and she picked it up. Castle could hear a reporter from a local paper and lifting his hand said, "Give it to me."

She smiled and handed the phone over to Castle who seemed to take on another persona as he spoke to the reporter. She tried to concentrate on her paperwork but couldn't; she was fascinated how Castle verbally tore the reporter apart and then put him back together before handing the phone back to her.

She put the phone to her ear to hear the reporter apologize for bothering her and wishing her a nice day before he hung up. Her eyes widened as still holding the phone in her hands she looked back at Castle.

"Lone Ranger," he said. "Really, I should be the Lone Ranger."

She looked around and as no one was watching threw him a kiss, then putting the phone back in its cradle returned to her paperwork. Almost a minute later, feeling his eyes on her she said without looking up, "Not on your life Castle…I still carry the gun."

As the day progressed every time she left her desk, upon returning the box was smaller than before. It was obvious that he wanted her to notice, but she continued to act oblivious to the changes and, as she knew, soon he started to fidget.

He said that the box was in his way, she merely replied he should have put it on a desk like she told him. He pretended he kicked it and hurt his foot, she replied he was totally responsible for any medical bills.

Not once did she look at the box! Not once did she mention it to him! She had to notice, it was almost two feet smaller on all sides than what he brought in! He looked at his watch, it was ten minutes to five. Lanie would be arriving soon for their night out. He had to get her to notice!

Beckett was having a difficult time holding in the laughter, not only was Castle getting frustrated, so were Ryan and Esposito. All three of them mentioned something about the box being in the way. She never cracked a smile and never looked at the box, she just continued with her paperwork till she got to a place to stop for the night.

Putting her pen down she stretched in her chair, seeing Castle's reaction out of the corner of her eye, she turned to him and smiled. "See something you like Castle?" she asked in a soft and seductive voice.

She gave a little chuckle as he couldn't say a thing, just stared at her like he'd been hit in the head with a hammer. "Think I'll freshen up before Lanie get's here," she said and left him sitting in the chair.

Although they couldn't hear what she said, Ryan and Esposito saw Beckett stretch, say something to him, and saw Castle stare at her with a goofy look on his face as she walked away. As soon as she was out of sight they came over to him and said, "What happened Castle? She hasn't said a thing about the box. Does it get smaller?"

"Nope, this is it." He ran his fingers through his hair, "I just don't get it! It's obvious the box is shrinking, she has to know what's happening." He shook his head and said, "Ill be right back," and left.

A few minutes later he came back to see her PC shut down, the paperwork put away and her gone. The box was still on the floor.

Turning to the guys he asked, "Where is she? What happened?"

Esposito looked at him and said, "Bro, she walked back to her desk, saw you were gone and started to put everything away. Then she stood up, looked at us and said in a phony innocent voice, "Oh my goodness! I think the box has shrunk!" She batted her eyelashes at us and laughed, then met Lanie who was coming out the elevator. They just left.

Ryan looked at Castle, shook his head and said, "Dude, she played us." Then turned back to his desk to put things away for the weekend.

Castle quickly grabbed the box and headed for the stairs. "She can't leave without her present," he said to them as he was leaving. They looked at each other, shook their heads and Esposito sadly said, "whipped."

Castle flew down the flights of stairs and managed to reach the bottom just as Lanie and Kate were about to go out the door.

"Kate! Lanie! Wait!" He cried as he hurried to them. They stopped just outside the precinct and Castle ran up to them panting, still holding the box.

Kate watched as he tried to catch his breath and said, "What's wrong Tonto. We're heading for our night out…which, I may remind you, you are not allowed to be anywhere near."

"You forgot your present," he said, holding the box out to her.

"I thought you told me this morning it wasn't for me," she replied.

"That box wasn't," he answered, "but this one is."

She took it from him and as Lanie looked on in puzzlement said, "Rick, a babushka present? That was so sweet of you. I really couldn't help it, you wanted me to react so badly that I had to do anything I could not to notice and say something."

He stared at her as she leaned up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll open it later."

She then moved away from Rick as she noticed an attractive young woman walk up to him with a copy of Naked Heat in her hands. She smiled as the fan timidly walked up to them.

'A year ago, even a month ago I would have been jealous of her being near him,' she thought. She smiled inwardly as she realized she didn't feel anything like that at all. She knew that he was hers and she was his and no one else would come between them.

Castle noticing the fan gave a silent apology to Kate and Lanie and took out his pen.

"Hello," he said to her, "would you like me to autograph that for you?"

She smiled up at him and said, "Thank you Mr. Castle, but you already did at a book signing." She looked over to Kate and said, "But would you mind signing it for me Detective Beckett?"

Kate was surprised, flattered and somewhat alarmed. 'Why on earth would someone want _my_ autograph?' she thought.

As if reading her mind the fan said, "I was thrilled when a strong, honest character was created with Nikki Heat. She isn't some superhero spy or anything, she's a real person with real issues and really a great inspiration."

Castle smiled and handed Kate his pen while taking the box out of her hand.

Kate thanked him with a smile, took the book and said, "Who do you want me to make it out to?"

"Julie," she said with a smile. And as Kate wrote in the book Julie looked on with a huge smile on her face. "My boyfriend Will was with me when Mr. Castle signed our books; he will be so jealous when I show him yours."

Kate smiled and handed the book back to Julie and said, "Good. Always keep him on his toes and never let him get complacent." Then she winked at Castle and took back her present from him.

Julie blushed and said, "I try." Then gave Kate a big smile, thanked her and headed off.

"Well that was interesting," Lanie said. "So what's in the box?"

Smiling, Castle kissed Kate on the cheek, hoped they both a good time tonight and headed home.

Kate looked on with a smile on her face as Lanie took her arm and said, "Come on girl, I'm hungry!"

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"Who are you and what did you do with my friend Kate?"

"Lanie..."

"Kate, you haven't stopped smiling since we left Castle at the precinct. That is more smiles in one hour than I'd usually see in a week!"

They arrived at the Old Haunt for their "once in a blue moon girls night out" and walked immediately to the reserved booth in the back. This was Castle's private booth, and when he redecorated the bar, he made sure that his was separate from the rest so that any conversation was really private. Someone had to be standing right in front of the booth to hear anything. Rick said it was to give him, and his friends, added privacy.

Jerry, the bartender knew them both and nodded as they skirted through the crowd on their way to the back. Mr. Castle made sure that all his employees knew Detective Beckett by sight, and they understood that whatever she wanted, she got. Her words and wants had the same weight as his. "Consider her part owner" he told them, and made sure that nothing was off limits to her, and she was never, ever, to be given a bill…no matter how much she complained.

Now they were sitting with their drinks, burgers ordered, and Kate opened the package she had carried in with her. Lanie watched with growing curiosity as Kate pulled a multi hued ceramic jar with a cork top, out of the box.

Kate saw the jar and gave a little gasp, and Lanie was surprised to see that whatever it was made her eyes tear up.

"So what is it?" Lanie asked.

Kate slowly turned the jar around so Lanie could see the name on the front.

"Hugs?" she asked in puzzlement. Kate simply nodded yes, not sure if she could even say the word. Once again Rick had done something so special for her that it took her breath away.

"Hugs?" Lanie asked again, and then opened the jar to see little pieces of paper inside, each one looked to be the size of the "fortune" in a fortune cookie, but folded in half.

Lanie reached in and took one out, opening it up she read "You deserve an I Missed You Hug."

She pulled out another and read, "You deserve an I Will Never Let You Go Hug."

Kate smiled with the softest look in her eyes and said, "They're _our_ Hugs."

"Really! You named your HUGS! I know you guys look cute together, and believe me you have really been _together_ a lot longer than seven days, but naming hugs? That is just too _adorable_!"

Kate smiled at Lanie and looked at the wonderful gift Rick had given her. A jar of Hugs. She had been a bit worried that he would go overboard on getting her gifts, especially when he mentioned how good she'd look in one of the great FBI cars that Agent Jordan Shaw had...she really put her foot down when he brought that up, but when he did sweet and personal, he was simply irresistible. This was the most wonderful gift that any man has ever given her; one of the most precious in her whole life.

Lanie was watching Kate closely and could barely hold back a teenage squeal at what she saw. Kate Beckett was in love, and probably for the first time in her life.

Lanie had seen her friend through quite a few first dates that never led to a second, had seen her in a relationship with Will Sorenson, and saw the beginnings of what she knew would be the train wreck of Tom Demming. Then there was Josh, the gorgeous hunk of a doctor who was absolutely clueless when it came to having a girlfriend…although to be honest she really didn't know as much about that one since Kate had kept it from everyone.

But that was the major difference, she never told anyone about Josh, and was circumspect with Will, but she didn't care at all who knew about Castle. She seemed freer with him than she ever had with anyone else.

Kate Beckett may have felt love for Will and even Josh to some extent, but she was never _in love_ with them, _that_ Lanie knew beyond the shadow of a doubt. And as for Tom, well the poor guy was never really in the running, as much as he hoped he was. But Castle, now that was different any way you looked at it.

They always had that cute connection, doing the same thing or saying the same thing, and the entire conversations they had with their eyes! It was almost better than any sex scene Castle ever wrote.

She actually wiggled in her seat as she said, "Ok girl, tell me everything, and don't leave anything out!"

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**A/N: Thank you for your patience, vacation was tiring and driving home more so. For those who mentioned my lack of response in reviews, my apologies. Once Yahoo improved its mail things naturally got worse, and sometimes my replies didn't go out. I will reply to reviews thru FF from now on, 'cause I really do appreciate them.**


	10. Chapter 10, Friday Night at Old Haunt

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 10, Friday Night at the Old Haunt

By RGoodfellow64

Disclaimer: There is no way that I own Castle, but I sure would love a time machine to go ahead and buy the season 4 DVD's! Oh, and I don't get a penny out of this fiction, just really nice reviews from really nice people.

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Lanie actually wiggled in her seat as she said, "Ok girl, tell me everything, and don't leave anything out!"

"Shhhh! Lanie! I don't want the whole place to hear!"

Lanie just looked at her like she had two heads. They were sitting in Castle's private booth which was separated from all the booths, tables and the bar so he and his friends could have some privacy when things were jumping…which they usually were on the weekends since The Old Haunt had become the official watering hole for the 12th Precinct.

Tonight was no exception, when they walked in they were greeted by quite a few officers and detectives, along with a few writers. Lanie found it interesting that Castle had managed to get two groups that usually have nothing to do with each other, to actually enjoy socializing at his bar. The fact that the bar served food now was just icing on the cake.

Kate saw the look in Lanie's eyes and sighed. "I know, I know, no one can hear us."

Lanie gave a grin and said, "So talk."

"Where do you want me to start?"

They both leaned back as Ed, the second bartender, setting their plates down with a flourish, delivered their food.

"Here you are ladies!" he exclaimed with a smile. "Just the way you like 'em...and the fries are extra crispy," he said before heading back to the bar.

Lanie reached for the ketchup and said. "I have to admit, your boy sure does treat us good."

Unconsciously Kate responded, "Man, Lanie. Man."

For a few minutes, they simply enjoyed their food before Lanie looked at Kate and gave her an "Ah hem! Hugs?"

At this she took out another slip of paper and read, "Always Hug."

She noticed as Kate caught her breath. "That's a new one," she said.

Lanie tilted her head to the right and just looked at Kate.

"Ok, it happened at the Hamptons," she said. "We got there very late or very early and Rick showed me the guest room."

Lanie interrupted, "Guest room?"

Kate sighed, "Yes Lanie, guest room! Everything with Rick felt new and old, scary and sweet and this is not something we want to chance ruining by moving too fast, or..." here she gave a little smile, "too slow."

Lanie smiled and put her hand on Kate's, "Ok. At least you two are finally on the same page."

Kate smiled back, "Oh yeah. We are definitely on the same page."

"So just tell me what happened. Nice and easy."

"I woke up around 10. Rick had been up for a couple of hours I guess since he went to the store to get us something to eat. When I came down he was making French toast and the smell of bacon filled the kitchen. "

She smiled at the memory, "He turned around and handed me a cup of coffee; Lanie, he looked so cute! He was wearing a big robe and the cutest slippers that Alexis had bought him a few years ago."

She laughed and said, "He told me the neighbor's dog chewed off the ears, so I only know they had been some kind of animal at one time."

Lanie smiled along with Kate and just enjoyed the show. Although she was still the hard working detective at the 12th, Kate after hours was a lot softer now than she was the last time they got together.

"Do you know he went shopping in those slippers?" Kate told her. Her eyes got a far away look as she continued, "He says they're his favorites and he keeps them in the Hamptons so they don't get lost."

Kate smiled and continued, "The house is amazing Lanie. Simply amazing! I only saw the outline of it when we got there, the front foyer, stairway and my bedroom, so after breakfast he gave me a tour."

Kate looked into Lanie's eyes, "I admit I was a bit anxious, the "high" we were on from the night before seemed to wear off and I wasn't as sure as I'd been, especially after he started giving me the tour. Lanie, that place is huge. It's right on the beach, has twelve rooms and in typical Castle style he tricked it out with the latest and greatest of toys and gadgets."

Kate paused for a moment and Lanie just watched her, knowing she would continue at her own pace.

"You know, it's scary how well he knows me?" she said. "After going through the first floor he stopped and sat me down at the bar. He took both of my hands and asked me to look him in the eye. When I looked I didn't see the nine year old he can be, I didn't see Castle the author, I just saw Rick, the guy who poured his heart out to me the day before."

Kate stopped as Ed took away their plates and refreshed their drinks. Kate picked hers up and took a sip, then continued.

"Lanie he looked so fragile, like I could break him. Then he reminded me that money only allows him to do the things _he_ wants. To live life on his terms, the freedom to write, spend time with Alexis...and to spend time with me."

She gave a little shake of her head and said, "He told me not to judge him by the house, not to judge him by what his publicist has had written about him. He asked me to judge him by what he has done, and who he has been these last months."

"He melted my heart Lanie, I forgot about the house and all the fancy things in it. I looked at the floor and saw his feet still in his unknown animal slippers and felt a surge of emotion…of, I don't know, love, respect, admiration, happiness, all those things and more. I leaned into him and kissed him. When I pulled away I whispered 'Always'. And just like that I wasn't anxious anymore."

Lanie's ears picked up at that, "Always. Isn't that one of your hugs?" she asked, smiling at Kate's embarrassed reaction.

"Um, yeah." Kate replied, blushing slightly. But when she looked up again Lanie could see a happiness in her eyes that had never been there before.

"Kate...hugs."

"Lanie?" Kate asked, "Do you think I'm a romantic person?"

"Huh? Where'd that come from?"

"Just tell me, do you think I'm a romantic person?"

Lanie saw that Kate was serious, so she leaned forward in her seat and said, "You never showed any romance to anyone, that I saw, till Castle came along."

She took a breath and continued, "I saw you and Will, and for those six months you were together I never once saw you guys hold hands. There were no long looks and there was no flirting. Kate, I remember him bringing you gifts and I never once saw the reaction to any of them that I just saw with this simple jar of hugs."

"So yes, you are a romantic person, it's just that you never had anyone you could share that romance with. It's probably been bottled up inside you for years and now, well it sounds like, and it looks like it's coming out all at once."

She paused, then asked Kate, "And why did you ask that?"

Kate gave a soft smile and said, "'Cause I'm the one who named the hugs."

Lanie had just taken a big sip of her drink and almost spit it out when Kate said that. "You? Not Writer Bo…Man?"

Kate gave a big grin and said, "Yep, me. I feel different Lanie. I feel something almost bubbly inside me and it's all because of him. Do you know how hard it is for me to sit in my chair and not stare at him all day like he stares at me?"

She shook her head and said, "It _is_ like something that's been bottled up has been allowed out, like a genie out of the bottle."

Lanie laughed and said, "Don't tell Castle that. He'll go out and buy you a complete harem outfit and beg you to wear it!"

"Hmmm, that might be fun."

"Are you sure you're Kate Beckett? Back to last weekend!"

Kate laughed and continued her story. "I found myself wanting to touch him all the time to make sure this was real, and ended up hugging him more times that Saturday than I have hugged every guy I ever dated combined. I felt so, I don't know how to put it, happy; excited; oh, and full of butterflies, with Rick that all of a sudden I started naming the hugs."

"I am not a touchy feely kind of person. There's a lot of hugging in Ricks family, but that pretty much stopped in mine when my Mom died.

Kate leaned forward and she became more intense, "I haven't felt like this since she died. I feel…I feel loved Lanie, I mean truly loved for me. Not because of the way I look, not because of the way I act, not because of my job or anything else. For the first time in my life, I don't have to try to _be_ perfect at anything, or _look_ perfect for someone to like me, to want me, to love me. I don't need to have makeup on or wear something sexy for him."

She looked down at the table and said in a soft voice, "I was sitting on the stool in my sweat pants, a tee shirt, with bed hair and no makeup and he told me I was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen."

She leaned back in her seat and looked at the jar of hugs, "In high school I was a rebellious teen, in college I tried to be the perfect student, after my Mom died I put up walls and pushed people away. It became second nature to do that and it was like an unstoppable force that in time always pushed men away."

Lanie smiled back and said, "Then you met the 'immovable object' called Richard Castle."

Kate lightly caressed the jar of hugs, "Yeah, he's that and so much more."

She shook her head and continued, "After that talk at the bar we went to our rooms and got ready for the day. Even though the sun was shining it wasn't that warm on the beach. The wind was cool off the water, but we went walking anyway."

She gave a soft smile at the memory, "I was seventeen the last time I held a boys hand when I walked on the beach."

She was silent for a minute, reliving that time in her mind till Lanie cleared her throat and with a start, continued with her story.

"We walked on the beach, for about two hours and when we came back Rick cooked some shrimp and veggies on the grill." She chuckled and added, "Do not mention to him 'shrimp on the barbie', he has a horrible Australian accent."

Lanie laughed along with Kate and marveled at how relaxed she was. "So what did you two talk about? It had to be something pretty important to make the changes we've seen in both of you."

"What do you mean, changes in both of us?"

"Girl, with all the smiling you've been doing, I'm surprised your face doesn't hurt! But what really surprised me was what Javi told me."

With a slight frown Kate asked, "And just what did he tell you?"

"He and Ryan both noticed the change in you two almost immediately," Lanie said. "Javi said it used to be funny how you would finish each others thoughts, but now it's almost spooky how much more in sync you two are. You don't even finish words, and a couple of times you got up to the write on the board and Castle would agree or tell you he didn't agree…and you hadn't even started to write yet!"

Kate nodded and said, "So that's why Ryan was looking up ESP on the internet yesterday."

Lanie laughed and replied, "That may be, but what really made them take notice was how Castle behaved."

"How he behaved?" Kate asked.

"Oh he still had his wild theories, and he still made people laugh, but he also didn't hover over you. He was there when you needed him, but he didn't put himself in the way. He'd touch your hand occasionally for support, and he went out and brought food. But he didn't get in the way like he sometimes did."

"Yeah, I remember going home one night and thinking I was too tired to fix anything to eat when it hit me that I wasn't hungry. Then I remembered Rick bringing in food and putting it right in front of me."

Kate's eyes got soft as she said, "I called him in the middle of the night to thank him for feeding me; for taking care of me; for simply being there." Her eyes got wide as the thought dawned on her, "Lanie, I have never allowed anybody to take care of me."

Lanie leaned over the table and patted Kate's hand, "Honey, everyone needs to be taken care of sometime. And don't think for a minute that he won't need you to do the same for him. That's what people who care for each other do…that's what people who love each other do."

Kate clasped her hands together and stared at them for a moment, then looked up again at her friend. "Love?" she asked. "I've been afraid of love for so long…but somehow with Rick I'm not."

She gave a little snort of disbelief, "He is not who I ever expected to love."

Lanie smiled back and said, "Yeah, but he is just who you _need_ to love. I have never in my life, seen or heard of two people who fit together as well as you."

As Kate was smiling at her, Lanie said, "So what did you talk about?"

"After we ate and cleaned up…you know, I never knew how much fun you can have cleaning dishes."

Lanie just gave her a look, so she continued, "Anyway, we sat on the veranda and looked at the ocean, well I looked at the ocean and Rick looked at me. When I turned to him and asked why he said I looked so beautiful there, that I was exquisite, and I had to stop him."

"Lemme get this straight, he's laying on the compliments and you make him stop?"

"Yes I did. When he asked why I said I didn't want to be put on a pedestal, and he was making me feel like I was on one.

I said, 'Rick, I am not a statue, I won't break into pieces, I am not a goddess or muse to be fawned over; I'm a flesh and blood woman who is not perfect and doesn't want to be. I have my flaws and you know them pretty well by now. All I want is someone to be there for me, a partner who will jump into life with me, who will share good and bad; someone who wants me to be the same for them.'"

"What did he say to that?" Lanie asked.

"He put his arms around me and held me, and then I hugged him as well. We sat there for a few minutes with our arms around each other and our foreheads touching when he whispered, "Kate, I so want that for us. I truly do."

"What happened then?"

"We kissed."

"Aaaannnd?"

Kate blushed and said, "We kissed some more?"

"It's a good thing we ate all the fries, 'cause I'd be throwing some at you right now!"

Kate chuckled and said, "Lanie, what we did was connect with each other in a way that I never have before. It's that simple and that complicated. We are partners in a way that is uniquely us."

"Now before you get all testy…"

"Testy? Me?"

"Yes you! Before you get all testy, we didn't talk about anything serious, or intense, or emotionally charged. We just talked like the two friends we are and had a good time."

Lanie raised her eyebrows and said, "Are you serious? You had Richard Castle all to yourself and all you did was talk?"

"We didn't _just_ talk, we took walks on the beach, we played games, we watched movies and made popcorn. We sat in front of the fireplace and we cuddled."

A big grin came across her face as Lanie said, "Cuddled? You cuddled?" Then she squealed, "Like in bed?"

"Doctor Parish!" Kate said as if shocked. "Didn't you hear when I said nothing happened?"

"Ok, ok. But I better hear when it _does_ happen!"

Kate gave a slow smile and looked at the jar of hugs, thinking of the man who gave her this precious present.

Lanie stared at her as if trying to figure out a puzzle. All of a sudden she gave a sexy little chuckle, tapped Kate's hand with hers and said, "Oooo, does he have any clue what's on your mind girl?"

Kate, biting her lower lip, looked up and with her own sexy laugh answered, "Nope. He has no idea."

At that moment Ed came by with two dessert dishes with something chocolate and decadent looking on them.

"We didn't order dessert Ed." Kate said as he placed the dishes in front of them.

"Compliments of Mr. Castle," Ed replied. "And this is for you," he said as he handed her a small envelope.

Kate asked Ed, "Is he here?"

"No, he's not," he answered with a grin. "Jerry told me Mr. Castle was told if he showed his face here tonight someone would shoot him." He chuckled at the two and then left.

"Smart man you have there Kate. He actually listened."

Kate looked at Lanie in surprise, "He did! Didn't he? He actually listened to what I said and did it."

Lanie picked up her spoon and said, "A man who can be trained, hold on to him, they are a rare species."

Kate laughed and picked up her own spoon and was about to take a piece of her dessert when Lanie gave out a gasp.

"Lanie! What's the matter?"

Her mouth full of chocolate delight all Lanie could do was say "oh, Oh, OH!"

"'Oh', what?"

"There is no word. To describe. How good. This is. If I died now I'd be happy."

Kate took her own bite and soon "oh" was the only word heard from the two.

When they finished their dessert Lanie looked at Kate and asked, "What's in the envelope?"

"It's from Rick, so it could be anything," Kate laughed as she opened it.

Inside was a small card with a heart on it and writing…Castle's hand writing. Kate started reading, opened the card and started to laugh.

Lanie said, "Well it must be good to get that reaction. So what's it say?"

Kate handed the card to Lanie who saw the heart and said "Awwww."

Kate replied, "Just read it Lanie"

Lanie looked at Castles perfect penmanship and started to read the poem,

"Flowers smell sweet / And this may sound corny / When I think of you / I feel…" Lanie opened the card and read inside, "Happy!"

They both got a big laugh from the poem and then Lanie asked, "Is he writing you cheesy poetry? Is that what you meant Monday when you told him no poems?"

Kate, chuckled at the memory and said, "Yeah, he told me last Friday he felt so happy he may write me some really bad teenage love poems." She smiled and took the card from Lanie, "This is actually better than most."

"Oh Kate, in all seriousness, I am so very happy for you. He really does care for you, I mean a lot."

"I know Lanie. I never wanted anyone to take care of me, but I don't mind if sometimes he does, because it's a two way street; he never felt he needed to be taken care of either."

A soft smile came on her face as she said, "I think we're meant to take care of each other."

She looked at her jar of hugs and suddenly the word she had been searching for these past seven days came to her.

Lanie, seeing her expression change said, "What is it?"

"I know how I feel Lanie. I finally understand what it is I feel being with Rick."

"And what's that?"

"Cherished," Kate replied softly. "I feel cherished."

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**Authors Note: Sorry this chapter took so long, it has actually been finished since the weekend but I waited till all the hubbub of the finale calmed down. After all it was so intense, who'd want to read my little story? Well, I hope you still do. :-) **


	11. Chapter 11, Tuesday

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 11, Tuesday

By RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: "I do not own Castle" has been written 100 times on the blackboard, but 101 times I wrote I wish I did. Authors note at end.

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Richard Castle sipped his coffee and enjoyed the quick burst of energy it gave him. He looked at the clock and realized it was only 5:30 in the morning. He'd awakened over two hours before with a burst of inspiration that resulted in his writing one and a half chapters. He was very pleased with the result and thought that this will probably be the best book he's ever written.

Taking another sip he smiled as he thought of the reason for this. Ever since he met her Kate Beckett was a mystery. He was intrigued, he was impressed, then he was fascinated, and finally he was in love. In each stage she inspired him more than he thought was possible, but now, now that he loved her, and knew she returned those feelings, now a dam had burst and he couldn't get the words down fast enough.

Alexis told him she had never seen the depth of emotion and drama in his writing as she has seen this week. Although he spent as much time as possible with Kate, he had written more this past week than he had the entire previous month.

Looking at the clock again as it read 5:35am, he heard the door open to the loft and watched as his mother quietly walked in.

Martha closed the door and smelled the coffee. Knowing her son was up she said, "Good Morning Richard."

"Good Morning Mother," Rick answered, "would you like some coffee?" Then unable to restrain himself he said, "Late night or early morning?"

Putting her purse and keys on the breakfast bar Martha swatted him on the shoulder. "No coffee for me kiddo, I need a few hours of sleep…busy afternoon planned."

Smiling at her Rick said, "Why not just merge last night into today? The coffee is good and I'm going to make breakfast soon for Alexis."

"Thanks but no, I want to be sharp today…keep my wits about me. I have a very important luncheon engagement."

"Oh? Is this for work or pleasure?"

With a big smile and a wave to her son, she headed up the stairs and said, "Definitely pleasure, Richard. I'm having lunch with Kate today."

She chuckled at the sound of him suddenly choking on his coffee, and at the squeaky voice that said, "Kate?"

With a final wave at the top of the stairs, Martha said, "Have a nice day dear!" and headed towards her room.

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Kate Beckett stared at her closet and sighed, "I have no idea what I'm going to wear."

She looked at the clock near her bed, 5:35am. Why had she gotten up so early? She'd been looking at her closet, not really seeing anything for almost an hour.

'Why did I ever agree to have lunch with Martha? What was I thinking?'

Although physically not moving, her mind was a whirlwind of activity.

'Ok, stop and think. Katherine Beckett, you are a NYPD Police Detective, think logically and factually…'

'One, you have known Martha almost as long as you've known Castle,

Two, Martha is a sweet and caring person as she showed when your apartment blew up,

Three, You have had conversations with her before and never been nervous,

Four, You helped her decide what to do with the money Chet left her…'

'But she's his "mother!" I am not going to lunch with Martha Rogers but with Rick's _mother_…and I have no idea what I'm going to wear!'

'I haven't been nervous about meeting a boyfriend's parent since I was sixteen.'

'But this is Rick's mother! Not just anybody, but _his_ mother!

'Ok Kate, you are seriously starting to freak out. How many times has he told you how much she loves you? How great she thinks you are? And remember what she said last Thursday at dinner, "Welcome to our world."'

Kate stared at her closet and sighed, "I have no idea what I'm going to wear."

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At a few minutes before 7am, Rick walked into the bullpen with two coffees and Kate's bear claw. As he neared her desk, he noticed she wasn't in, but Esposito and Ryan were.

"Morning guys. Where's Beckett?"

Esposito turned around to look at Rick and said, "Not in yet bro."

Ryan asked, "What are you doing here so early Castle?"

Rick placed the coffees on Kate's desk and sat in his chair, "Oh, inspiration struck at 3:30 this morning and I figured I might as well come in early and surprise her."

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other and then headed over towards Castle.

Ryan said, "Speaking of surprise, what a nice surprise to see you here…"

"Alone", Esposito added.

"Without Beckett." Ryan finished.

"Uh, Yeah?" Rick felt he was watching a tennis game as they spoke, turning his head from one to the other.

Esposito gave a big smile, "Yeah bro! We haven't been able to tell you how happy we are that you two finally got together."

Ryan added, "Yeah, Castle. Man to man, you know, give our congrats..."

"Our Blessing..." Esposito said.

"Our warning." Ryan added without a trace of warmth.

"Uh-huh, warning." Esposito agreed with a glaring look.

Castle sat there turning his head from one to the other and started to feel worried. "Uh, guys?"

Esposito said, "Look Castle, you screwed up last summer…"

"Big time." Ryan added.

"And we don't want to see any repeat of that." Esposito said.

Ryan shook his head no and said, "Oh no, no, no, that'd be bad…"

"Real bad." Esposito said.

"Not that we don't like you Castle..." Ryan interjected.

"Hell, you helped save our lives." Esposito said.

Castle thinking he saw a way out of this said, "And you saved ours…"

"Right!" Ryan said, "You're one of us…"

"Part of our team..." Esposito added.

"But if Mom and Dad argue…"

"Which we know is bound to happen…"

"But if it got really bad…"

"Yeah, like hurting bad…"

"Well you know what side we'll pick." Ryan concluded.

"Esposito said, "Yeah bro, she gave you a second chance…"

"And we're really glad she did…" Ryan added.

"But there won't be a third." They both said in a very serious voice.

Rick felt like some sort of doll whose head moves back and forth. He couldn't believe it, they tag teamed him!

He looked up at their serious faces and suddenly a warm spot developed for these two men. They acknowledged him as one of their team, he had paid his dues and they accepted him. BUT, they were her brothers and they would look out for her.

They were her brothers _and_ they were his brothers. He suddenly felt choked up, realizing that he had crossed a bridge he never knew existed. It dawned on him how much he truly cared for these two men, these two brothers.

He looked at their stern faces and started to smile. They in turn started to look puzzled by his reaction and Esposito started to say, "Hey bro, we mean…"

Rick stood up in front of them, and hugged them both. Letting each go quickly he said, "I know what you are trying to say, and believe me, I would rather cut off my hands and never write again than hurt her. But I also want to let you know that I really appreciate what you are doing for Kate, and that you both are important to me. I am honored and proud to be part of your team."

Uncomfortable with the emotion Rick was expressing, Ryan and Esposito just nodded their heads and headed back to their desks.

"Just don't hurt her Castle, be real for her." Esposito said as he sat down.

"I will," Rick said, "I always will."

A few minutes later the elevator opened and Kate walked out. Castle couldn't help but stare at her as she walked to her desk. There was something different about her this morning, something…he couldn't quite grasp it but there was something different.

Her eyes met his and she smiled before saying, "Morning Castle," then looking past him, "Morning guys."

"Morning Beckett," all three men said at the same time. She stopped before sitting down, looked at each one and asked, "Did you guys practice that?"

Sitting at her desk she picked up her coffee and took a big swallow. While she was doing that Castle continued to stare at her till she put the cup down and said, "Still creepy, Castle."

As she opened the bag for her bear claw he realized what was different. She was wearing more makeup than usual. Not too much, but just a bit more than she normally wore to work. And her clothes, although they looked just like what she usually wore to work, they were a bit too fine, a bit too nice; more like a going-out outfit than work clothes.

As he continued to stare at her she turned her head to him and said, "What?"

And then he knew…she was on edge! Kate Beckett was actually nervous!

He cleared his throat and she raised one eyebrow. 'Wow, that is so cool!' he thought. 'I didn't know she could do that! I wonder if she can wiggle her ears.'

"Castle."

"Huh? What?"

"What do you mean what?" she asked.

"Um," he furiously tried to come up with an answer. "Which what?"

She gave an exasperated sigh, "Castle, _you're_ the one who's staring at me! You cleared your throat like you were about to say something and then stopped…soooo, _what!_

"Oh." he lowered his voice, "Is everything ok?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't it be? What's gotten into you this morning Castle?" She turned to look at Ryan and Esposito who both quickly pretended to be working diligently on something, and not trying to overhear their conversation.

"Something you need to be doing detectives?" she asked. Then turned back to Castle and lowering her voice said, "Ok Rick, what's going on?"

Keeping his own voice low he replied, "Well, I could be wrong but I don't think I am, and I think you're feeling a bit nervous."

"Nervous? Why would I be nervous?"

Bracing for the worst he said, "Ahh, perhaps because you have an appointment for lunch today?"

She stared at him for a few seconds, grabbed her coffee and emptied the cup in one large gulp. She stood up and said, "Castle! Break room. Now!" Then headed there.

Looking over at Esposito and Ryan he shrugged his shoulders, picked up her empty coffee cup and followed her into the break room. As he entered she shut the door behind him and said, "So, I look nervous to you?"

Understanding that it was no time for joking, that she wanted only the truth from him, he replied, "Yes. I doubt anyone else can see it, but I can."

Kate sat down at the table as he went to the Espresso machine to refill her cup. "Martha called me last night and asked if we could meet for lunch today. Since we have no active case I said sure. Now I'm not…sure I mean."

As the machine filled her cup Rick said, "And now you are wondering just what this lunch is all about?"

"Yes."

Rick placed the cup in front of her and said, "I can see how you would."

She looked at him with a worried expression.

"Oh, don't misunderstand, she thinks the world of you and probably just wants to spend some quality time together. What I mean by I can see why you're nervous is, to you, you are not meeting Martha Rogers for lunch, you're meeting my _mother_. And that is why you probably spent more time with your makeup and picking out what you're wearing."

She stared at him, her eyes widened in surprise and realized her mouth was open in wonder. When did he get so far inside that he knew her so well? This was at once comforting and somewhat alarming. She had prided herself that no one would ever get that close to her, yet somehow _he_ completely bypassed every wall she built, every barrier she placed in his path. She paused and considered this knowledge; it made him…endearing.

He sat in the chair opposite her, reached for her hand, and when he held it said, "You look incredible by the way. I feel sorry for all the women who saw you coming in to work, and realized that they will never, ever look as good…or as hot." With that last he gave her hand a squeeze to reinforce his words.

'How can he do this to me?' she thought to herself. 'I haven't been here five minutes and already he's made me a puddle.'

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Ok Rick, no need to be nervous then?"

"Are you kidding?" he asked in surprise. "There is absolutely no reason to be. My mother adores you and she has been waiting so long for the two of us to get together."

He shook his head and said, "If she could she'd kidnap you and drag you to all her parties, just to show everyone the amazing woman who is dating her son."

As she smiled at him he said, "No, you have no need to be nervous, _I_ on the other hand, have every reason to be!"

"You?" she asked. "Why you?"

"Are you kidding? Who do you think will be a primary topic of conversation?" He shook his head resignedly, "I shudder to think what she'll dig up from my past."

Laughing, Kate squeezed his hand and said, "Aww Ricky, don't worry. No matter what she says I'll still love you. I may suddenly break out in laughter for no apparent reason, but I'll still love you."

Suddenly she stopped laughing and her eyes got darker. She caught his eyes and held them in place with hers and said, "You're pretty hot yourself you know."

They sat there in silence just staring in each others eyes for almost a minute till they heard a knock on the door and it opened.

"You know, some people would also like coffee in the morning." Esposito said as he headed to the Espresso machine.

Breaking eye contact and letting go of each other's hand, they stood up and headed back to Kate's desk.

As she reached her chair Kate said, "Thanks Rick. You always know just what to say."

Sitting down he tapped himself on the chest and replied in a lofty tone of voice, "Professional writer. Comes with the job. Glad I could help."

She rolled up the bag her bear claw came in and threw it at him, then with a smile turned back to the paperwork on her desk, enough to keep her busy for the next few hours.

Sitting next to her, Rick took out his phone and started surfing the internet, occasionally glancing at the beautiful and amazing woman who had completely turned his world around.

Last week comments on the web from the photo at Remy's said how lucky she was to be dating him, but he knew _he_ was the lucky one. He smiled as he thought of what Alexis said the other day, "You both won the lottery."

As he watched her concentrate on her paperwork he thought, 'I could easily spend the rest of my life watching her…I could easily spend the rest of my life _with_ her.'

Without looking up from her paperwork Kate said, "It's still creepy Castle," then smiled as she kept on working.

.

.

At 11:45am Martha Rogers walked into the bullpen as if she'd owned it for years, bestowing good mornings in her wake to the detectives she passed as she headed towards Kate's desk.

Still looking at his phone Rick said, "I hear the pitter patter of matronly feet." Looking up at Kate he added, "I can usually hear her from a mile away."

Kate looked back at him, smiled and said, "Shhh, she's your mother and I think she's sweet." And just like that the nerves she was beginning to feel again left her."

"Kate, darling! I hope no poor soul was murdered to keep you from lunch!" Martha said.

Kate stood up from her desk after getting her purse from the drawer and replied, "No cases Martha, are we leaving now?"

Arriving at her desk Martha patted Rick on the shoulder and said, "The earlier the better! It means I get to spend more time in your pleasant company!"

Rick sat up in his chair and asked, "Where are you going? Can I come too?"

"No Richard, this will be a _ladies_ lunch, women only…" she looked at Kate and continued, "Just the fairer sex…the stronger sex!"

Kate smiled at Rick and said to Martha, "I don't know Martha, think if he shaves his legs and puts on a dress and a wig he may be allowed?"

Martha pretended to think that over and with her finger on her lips said, "Hmmm, I'm not sure dear, perhaps he'd also need a nice hat…something lacy and delicate."

"But I'm hungry! You don't want me to waste away from lack of nourishment, do you?" Rick said while blinking his eyes insincerely.

"Richard! If I've told you once I've told you a million times, don't exaggerate!"

As he smiled at his mother's play on words she continued, "You can have lunch with Detectives Esposito and Ry…oh, where are they?"

Kate looked over at their empty desks and said, "They left about a half hour ago, they'll probably pick up lunch somewhere before coming back."

Looking at Rick she said, "Do you want us to bring you back anything?"

He smiled back at her and said, "No thanks. I think I'll head home and continue writing." He winked at Kate, "For some reason I seem to be more inspired lately than I've ever been."

Kate blushed when he said that and Martha took her arm saying, "Come along dear, if we stay here much longer he'll probably start writing some corny poetry to you!"

Kate and Rick looked at each other and started to laugh. Martha looked from one to the other and smiled, saying, "Oh, that is so nice. Come along Kate, we don't want to be late!" And with her arm in Kate's she led her towards the elevator.

As the elevator door opened Kate turned to look at Rick and saw he had the warmest smile on his face. She smiled back at him and gave a little wave with her free hand as the doors closed.

As the elevator descended, Martha turned to Kate and said, "My dear, you look absolutely stunning! However do they let you chase criminals looking like that? I'd think they'd run to you!"

Kate blushed and smiled at Martha before thanking her. A few seconds later the doors opened and they were at the main floor of the 12th Precinct. Martha hadn't let go of Kate's arm since they left her desk and together they walked out the door as Martha spoke in her dramatic fashion on how lovely the day was and what a shame so many nice police officers had to remain indoors.

As they stepped outside Kate noticed a large, dangerous looking man come up to them. Her instincts took over and she pulled her arm from Martha prepared to meet the threat, when he said in a heavy Eastern European accent, "Miss Rogers, are you ready to go?"

Martha replied, "Yes Pyotr, Kate and I are ready to go."

Pyotr waved ahead to a Lincoln Town Car and another large man got out and opened the door, waiting for Martha and Kate. Kate was impressed that Martha had spoken the name in the proper Russian rather than the English 'Peter'.

Pyotr stayed by Martha's side as they walked to the car. Kate noticed that his eyes were scanning everything around them as he walked; as bodyguards go, he was probably on par with the Secret Service, she thought. Which caused her to wonder, 'why does Martha need bodyguards? Castle and Alexis never seem to have them.'

As they arrived at the car Martha said, "Thank you Paval," to the man holding the door. Then turned to Kate and said, "Kate, I'd like to introduce you to Pyotr and his cousin Paval. They own the limousine service along with Pyotr's sister Yana."

Turning to the two men she said, "This is Kate Beckett, Richard's partner."

Pyotr gave a little bow to Kate and said, "A pleasure to meet you Miss Beckett."

Before entering the car Martha said, "She is a police detective, Pyotr." Turning to Kate she asked, "Do you prefer Detective Beckett or Miss Beckett?"

Looking at the two large and dangerous looking men, who obviously felt very protective of Martha, with a twinkle in her eye Kate replied, "I believe that I would like 'Miss' when we go out, Martha." Then, smiling at the two men, she entered the car.

As the doors closed Martha gave a sigh and then patted Kate on the knee. "I am so glad you accepted my invitation dear, I have been looking forward to spending some time with you for a long time now."

Kate smiled back at her and said, "I'm glad too. But I have to ask, why do you have bodyguards?"

As the car pulled away from the precinct Martha chuckled and said, "Oh no, they're not bodyguards, although I guess they were once." She shook her head and continued, "No, now that I think of it, they do perform that function for the foreign businessmen and diplomats who use their service. I guess you could call them Richard's strays."

Kate gave Martha a puzzled look, "Rick's stray's? I don't understand."

A warm, loving smile came on Martha's face as she replied, "You know how some children will bring home a stray cat or dog or some other animal?"

Kate nodded yes.

"Well Richard never did that as a child, but as he grew older he collected a different kind of stray, he collected people."

"People?"

"Yes. It took a while for him to learn, especially after he became famous, to trust his instincts about people. He used to wear his heart on his sleeve and learned quickly that most people were only interested in him for his money or fame." She sighed and continued, "I saw the warm, loving son I knew become hard and guarded. I saw walls built to keep people away. Those walls were only down with Alexis and myself.

But occasionally he met someone real, who accepted him for himself, not the image that Paula created for him. And some of those became friends, very good friends." At this, she nodded her head towards the two men in the front seat, separated from them by a thick glass shield.

"Richard's stray's. He met them overseas years ago and when they came to America he found Pyotr driving a taxi. When he needed a taxi Richard always requested Pyotr and after a while he helped them establish their business. It was a loan with no interest and they could take as long as needed to pay it off, or not if the business didn't succeed. Pyotr is very proud that his service has become the most requested by international travelers, and absolutely refuses to let anyone else drive us when we need a car and driver."

Martha looked into Kate's eyes and said in a very serious tone, "Richard is very loyal to his friends Kate, and they are very loyal to him. That is part of what I meant when I said 'Welcome to our world', it is like no other I ever experienced before and probably like none you have either."

Kate thought for a moment and said, "I never thought he knew what real was till I met Kyra Blaine, when her bridesmaid was murdered. I saw his reaction to her when he said, "she's the one that got away," and was surprised. I pretty much believed the publicity hype and he never made me think otherwise when I first met him."

She turned to Martha about to add something else and was shocked at her expression. Martha's mouth was closed in a tight line, and she could see anger in her eyes. 'Was it something I just said?' the thought, worried that she had angered his mother.

Martha looked up at Kate and seeing the worry on her face quickly said, "Oh Kate, I'm sorry, I was thinking of Kyra." Seeing Kate's confusion Martha continued, "At first I really liked her. She seemed to care for Richard and appreciated him for his qualities. But then she left him. She said she 'needed space' and he wasn't to follow her."

Kate saw an angry fire appear in Martha's eyes as she continued, "I think I hurt more for him than he did for himself. That's when his personal walls started coming up." She paused for a moment then said, "I was so worried when she showed up last year. I was afraid that she would somehow try to get him back and I knew she was just wrong for him."

Suddenly she smiled at Kate and said, "And after all, I had already met you and knew _you_ were his perfect match."

Kate stared at her trying to think of something to say when the car pulled to a stop. A few seconds later Pyotr opened the door and they got out. Kate found herself standing before a non descript building with a large midnight blue door and a small plaque that she couldn't quite make out from the curb. Looking up and down the street she realized they were in one of the most exclusive parts of New York, a part she rarely visited.

Pyotr helped Martha out of the car and she thanked him very much for all his help.

"It is always our pleasure Miss Rogers. We will be waiting when you are finished to take you anywhere you want to go."

Turning to Kate, he handed her a card and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Beckett. If ever we can be of help, please call."

He gave them both a little bow and looked across to Pavel, who was standing by the drivers' door. Speaking in Russian he said, "_We will find a place to park and eat. They will call when we are needed._"

Pavel nodded his head and replied in Russian, "_She is very beautiful, his partner, will she be on the list?_"

Kate listened while giving no indication that she was fluent in Russian. She was fascinated by their conversation. It was giving her another perspective into her partner.

Getting into the car Pyotr replied, "_Yes. Yana will add her to her list. Any time, any place and no charge. She is now family._"

As they closed the doors and drove away, Martha took Kate's arm and said, "Come along dear, you must be hungry, I know _I_ am!" Then she led Kate to the beautiful blue door.

Kate was still trying to grasp what she'd just heard. "Martha, I speak Russian. They added me to a list and if ever I call won't charge me! What's that all about?"

Martha stopped and said, "Dear, Richard has been trying to get them to accept money since they started. He, and us, are family and they will never charge us a thing. No matter how much we use their service and no matter how much Richard argues with them."

Kate looked at Martha and said, "Us?"

"Yes Kate, us. You are his partner. A partner in more ways than you both probably ever thought of." She smiled and continued, "Your partnership is unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of, and believe me kiddo, even if it took a few years for you both to see the light, it is much stronger than any I have known."

She gave a small chuckle and said, "If this was a movie or TV show no one would believe it! Now come along." And she walked Kate to the door.

As they got closer Kate was able to read the writing on the plaque, "Chez Jean," was written in beautiful calligraphy.

She couldn't believe they were about to enter Chez Jean. It was one of the most exclusive restaurants in New York. The waiting list was over six months long and even the most notable stars and politicians were turned away without a reservation. She was still thinking about that when the door opened and a tall, dignified gentleman welcomed them inside.

"Good afternoon Miss Rogers, so good to see you again; and this must be Detective Beckett?"

Martha had a big smile on her face and said, "Good afternoon Jacques, I believe we will leave the detective at the precinct today."

"Ahh! Then we welcome Miss Beckett to our tables!" Jacques replied with a smile, and led them into the restaurant.

To say Kate was amazed would be an understatement. They had just walked into the most exclusive restaurant in the city, were welcomed without any question of a reservation and led to a secluded table near the back.

The carpets were lush and made her feel as she was walking on air, and the décor was sophisticated, not gaudy. She tried to come up with a word and the only one that fit was elegant…a tasteful, non-obtrusive elegance.

As Jacques led them to their table Kate noticed there were quite a few people dining, actually it seemed every table was taken; the only free table being the one they were headed to which had a sign that said "Reserved." It was part of the dining room and yet apart, there were beautiful plants to help shield it from curious eyes, and flowers she had never seen before, that had the most beautiful scent.

She heard the sound of water and saw a small fountain, giving a quiet sense of peace to their surroundings. The soft gurgling sound immediately put her at ease.

Jacques held out a chair for Martha as Kate settled in. Right away, she noticed the people sitting at adjacent tables were watching them with curiosity. She actually overheard one woman say to her companion, "They wouldn't let us sit there, I wonder what's so special about them?"

Jacques gave a little bow, hoped they enjoyed their meal and headed back towards the door as Kate took in more of her surroundings. The table setting was probably the finest she had ever seen, feeling the tablecloth and napkin, she thought it must be at least 1000 thread cotton. And the plates looked like fine porcelain, with a wide gold border. She picked one up to look on the bottom and quickly put it back when she saw the name. Lenox Embassy. Wasn't that the china used by diplomats? She remembered reading something about how special and expensive it was, and she was going to have her lunch served on it!

She looked up at Martha and was about to say something when she noticed Martha's eyes were attracted to a minor commotion at the other end of the dining room. She heard several people at other tables say, "It's Jean himself!" and she looked up to see a very well dressed, handsome and fairly young looking man head towards their table.

"Martha!" he said with enthusiasm, "I just heard that you arrived. Why didn't you call to let me know you were coming?"

"Jean, you know very well you make too much of a fuss, and today is special since I am having lunch with my son's partner, Kate."

Kate noticed several things at once. First was that Jean was very happy to see Martha and truly liked her. Second was that every eye of every diner within view in the restaurant was glued to their table, and third was that Jean didn't sound French at all. In fact, his accent sounded Scandinavian!

"Kate Beckett. I am so very happy to finally meet you. Rick has told me so much about you that I feel I've known you for years!"

He took her hand and gave it a kiss. "Martha will probably fill you in on things, but I look forward to seeing you here often."

Turning to Martha he said, "Would you like a menu or do you want to order your regular?"

"Menu's please Jean, this is Kate's first time here and I think she will need one."

Jean smiling bent his head down and gave Martha a kiss on the cheek, said, "Of course." then headed back to the kitchens. Every eye was on him as he went, and when he exited the room, everyone looked back at Martha and Kate with what could only be construed as envy.

Martha leaned towards Kate and said, "The acoustics at this table are amazing. We can hear many conversations from here, but no one can hear ours. Richard used the same firm to redecorate the Old Haunt."

Kate was still trying to absorb what was happening when their waiter Paul, who also seemed to know Martha, appeared and asked if they wanted anything to drink.

Martha ordered a glass of wine and because she was still on duty, Kate asked for water. As Paul went to fill their request, they looked over the menu and Kate noticed there were no prices listed. 'Oh oh' she thought, 'if you have to ask you can't afford it' came to her mind. Then she saw that the food was not French or European, but was typical American fare. She felt some relief that she could understand just what she was ordering.

They both decided what they wanted and when Paul returned with their drinks placed their order. As he took their menus and left, a thought came to Kate and she asked, "Martha, what did Jean mean when he said you'd fill me in on things?"

Martha answered her with a question of her own. "Kate, I have a question for you that I have been thinking of for a long time now. Since that first morning when you had breakfast with us and returned my necklace, I could see there was a spark between you and my son. The fact that all he ever seemed to talk about was you, and the way he wrote Nikki Heat, told me that his feelings for you were much, much more than he would admit."

Their appetizer arrived and Kate was thankful for the pause. She didn't know where this was going and the nervous feeling she had earlier was returning. She quickly looked at her plate and paused, the dish before her was so beautifully presented that she almost didn't want to put her fork into it. Almost, but the aroma was so good she had to take a bite.

For a few minutes they ate in silence, then Martha continued, "The more I saw you together, the more I knew that there was something special between you, yet you never got together. Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes dear, why?" Martha was not one to mince words, and continued, "I should think it was obvious to you both how you felt for each other, yet you both seemed determined to look elsewhere."

Kate put her fork down and thought, 'how do I tell her that I always knew we'd be great together but I didn't trust him with my heart? I really wish I never agreed to this.'

Kate was looking down at her hands folded by her plate when Martha's hand covered hers. "Kate, this is not an inquisition. Please don't feel nervous. I am so thrilled that you and Richard are together, that you have admitted the feelings you each have; that you both stopped looking in all the wrong places and finally saw each other, with nothing and no one to block the view."

For a moment Kate went back in time and heard her mother's voice saying words similar to what Martha just spoke. Suddenly the nerves were gone and she felt she could confide in Martha. That she had someone that could not exactly take her mother's place, but will listen with a mother's heart.

She started to explain to Martha how she really felt over these past years about Castle, and why she didn't act on them. When she mentioned the previous summer and Rick going off with Gina, Martha sighed.

"For the life of me dear, I have no idea why he did something so stupid. It was a disaster the first time and it was no better the second. I know he was never happy those months they were together, and he didn't get his smile back till he returned to New York and started following you again."

She gave another sigh and said, "Kate, the only thing I can tell you is that from my personal experience, not just with my son but with every man I ever dated, married, or worked with…there is something in their genes that makes them do stupid things. And there really isn't much we as women can do other than pick up the pieces and put them back together."

Kate smiled at Martha's comment. It seemed to fit Castle perfectly. She still could see him as two different people, Castle and Rick. Looking back at Martha she continued and told her about meeting Josh shortly after Rick was back with the team. Then she got to the part about the contamination tent, her relationship with Josh and how she felt almost inadequate, how he traveled all over the world with Doctors Without Borders to help people, and she was just a cop…not able to compete with the needs of the world. She looked up at Martha and was surprised to see sorrow in her eyes.

"Kate, dear, I so wish we had spoken before today." Martha said, and Kate could see she was serious.

Martha continued in a more comforting tone, "You looked at yourself through _his_ eyes and wondered how you could compete with saving the world?"

Kate simply nodded her head, feeling again the guilt the memory of that time brings.

"If he truly cared, you would never feel that you couldn't compete with his career or what he considered his mission. If he truly cared, there would be no competition at all because you would _know_ that you were always first in his life. That nothing else came before you in importance."

Kate started to feel tears form as she told Martha what happened when she and Castle got out of the freezer, and how she gave Josh another chance because he stayed for her. But it was when she said she felt she couldn't break up with him since he gave up so much for her that Martha sounded angry.

"Katherine Beckett, don't you ever, I mean _ever_, put yourself down like that again. If he made you feel that way then I am glad he is out of your life, and if I ever meet him I will hit him with everything I have! That is a type of abuse, and it's the most insidious kind!"

Kate started to object, "Josh isn't like that…" but Martha kept on talking.

"Now I know why Richard would be so angry when he mentioned him. Don't try to tell me I'm wrong, I have a lot more years of experience than you do young lady, so I will ask you some questions. No words, just nod your head yes or no. Understand?"

Kate couldn't help but smile at Martha's take charge attitude and nodded yes.

"Good, first, was he always available when you were?"

Kate shook her head no.

"Did he ever cancel on you because he changed his shift to "help" someone?

Kate slowly nodded yes.

"Did he ever complain that you were never available for him?"

Kate nodded yes again.

"When he was going to change his schedule or go away somewhere, did he ever discuss that with you before he did it?"

Kate quickly shook her head no; as she played back in her mind the many times that happened, and the arguments they had because of them.

"When the two of you did have time together did you ever talk about _your_ work?"

Once again, Kate shook her head no.

"When the two of you did have time together did you talk about _his_ work?"

Kate thought a bit and then nodded yes.

"Did he tell you all the wonderful things he was doing?"

Kate slowly nodded yes, and contemplated how inadequate she always felt when he did.

"Did he ever make you feel that what he did was important but what you do isn't?"

Kate narrowed her eyes in memory and nodded yes, remembering how he always dismissed her job.

"And did you feel bad when you had to work and couldn't be with him when he had some free time?"

Kate again nodded yes.

"Did he ever tell you how much he missed you when _you_ couldn't be there because of work?"

Kate nodded yes.

"Did he ever make you feel guilty because you had to do your job and not be with him?"

Kate's eyes widened as she began to understand and she nodded yes.

"And lastly, when you did go out of your way to make time for him, did he ever just leave you to go to his job without a second thought?"

Kate sat for a moment with her mouth open in surprise and after a few seconds said, "Damn!"

Martha tapped Kate's hand and said, "That my dear is called "Manipulation", and it is a form of abuse. It is all about him; what he can do what he can get, and what he wants. Nowhere in his life is there room for someone else and whether you and Richard stay together or not, I am so very glad Josh is out of your life. In my opinion he is an emotional cripple, who has no idea how to love anyone other than himself."

She barked a laugh, "It's funny. You said you thought Richard was what his publicity made him out to be; that he would simply use you and didn't want to date him because of that, yet with Josh, you ended up dating the exact thing you were afraid of with Richard."

Kate was stunned. She'd still felt badly about breaking off with Josh since he "gave up" so much for her. Although she wasn't sorry she had, she felt like she had done something terrible to such a nice guy. Yet Martha's simple questions brought her previous relationship in sharp focus and she could see…she _had_ been manipulated into staying with him longer than she would have if she had only listened to the voice inside herself, the one that told her not to feel guilty but to be true to herself.

That same voice was now quiet since she and Rick shared that wonderful evening at Remy's.

Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she was angry. 'Why that no good son of…'

"Ah, thank you Paul, Kate your meal looks delicious!" Martha said once again acting the Diva.

Kate mentally shook her head and looked at the plate Paul had placed in front of her. Already the aroma was making her mouth water and she couldn't wait to start eating.

As she picked up her spoon she had one last thought of Jo…no from now on he would be motorcycle boy, because that's really all he was, a boy. She smiled as she thought how difficult it would be for him to ride his bike with a stethoscope stuck up…

"Mmmm, Kate, this is to die for! Start eating and enjoy!"

Kate did just that. "Martha! This French Onion soup tastes just like Rick's!" she said in delight.

"Ah, Jean is using Richard's recipe. He actually has a few items on the menu that your 'Partner' gave him."

Kate chuckled as Martha continued, "Richard seems surprised that Jean won't use his Smorelette invention though."

"So Martha, is that what Jean meant when he said you would fill me in? Rick lets him use his recipes?"

Taking another bite of her salad Martha said, "Oh no dear. Richard and Jean have been friends for quite a long time now. You could say he is another of his strays."

"Jean of Chez Jean is one of Rick's friends? How?"

Martha smiled and said, "You noticed the sign that said "Reserved" when we got to the table?"

"Yes."

"It is always here. No one else can sit at this table to eat unless it is Richard or a member of his family. That's why Jean mentioned I didn't call. We never need a reservation since we always have a table free. This is the Castle family table and we can come here to eat any time we want."

Kate was shocked to say the least. Rick, _her_ Rick, had a personal table at the most exclusive restaurant in New York City! "How…?"

"My dear you look so shocked! Believe me this is not anything that money can buy. You have no idea how many so called "celebrities" have tried to get in here with money. Jean and Richard have been friends for years, and Richard is the one who talked him into coming to New York from Paris to open another restaurant."

"From Paris?" Kate felt she couldn't put more than two words together at a time, she was finding out so many new things about her partner. Since the fall, she knew he was more than he had ever let on, but she had no idea until recently how deep he really was.

Martha chuckled and said, "Did you ever hear of Chez Rick's?"

Kate put her knife and fork down in shock. "Martha, I remember my mother reading a review of Chez Rick's in the New York World a few months before she died. She said it sounded wonderful. Do you mean it was named after 'our' Rick?"

Martha had to smile at Kate saying "our Rick", it had such a nice sound to it.

"Yes dear, that's exactly what I am saying."

Kate put on her detective face and said, "Ok Martha, tell me the whole story."

Putting her own utensils down Martha asked, "Do you think you'll want dessert dear?"

"Martha!"

Martha chuckled at Kate and said, "After the second Derrick Storm novel sold so well, Richard decided to change the location to Europe. The book was called 'Storm over Europe' and he spent a few months traveling around Europe to get the feel of the countries there."

"Storm over Europe?" Kate asked, "I don't recall a Derrick Storm novel named that."

"That's because he didn't care for it dear. I suppose he has a copy around somewhere if you want to read it. It was before he used a computer and he typed it himself."

Martha took a sip of her wine and continued, "While he was in southern Sweden, Richard met Jean, who worked for a retired Swedish Colonel. Richard was there to see some old fortifications, I think he called them pill boxes or something like that. They were built on the beaches between Denmark and Sweden during WWII in case of a German invasion."

Kate was fascinated by the story and simply nodded her head for Martha to continue.

"The retired Colonel that Jean worked for had actually helped build and was stationed in one of these pill boxes during the war, and Richard spent quite a lot of time with him learning all about them. Of course since Jean worked as a sort of 'Man Friday', Richard got to know him as well. Jean had always wanted a restaurant of his own and Richard had funds he needed to invest, so he helped Jean start up in Paris."

Martha looked at Kate with a serious expression and said, "Richard is part owner of Chez Rick's and Chez Jean, but no one knows that, just his _family_."

Kate blushed and lowered her eyes as Martha said family. She knew she was being included in that word and it made her feel like she was finally part of a loving family again.

Martha continued, saying, "The only people he has brought here are me and Alexis. For him this is too special for anyone else than his family." She chuckled, "He will probably be upset and pout that I was the one who first took you here, but hey kiddo, I've thought of you as daughter material since I loaned you my ruby necklace."

A warm feeling went through her and Kate felt tears start in her eyes as she looked up at Martha and softly said, "Thank you."

Martha smiled then winked at Kate and said, "Don't you think it's a hoot that everyone thinks he's French? His name is Jean and he speaks it fluently, but he is actually Swedish!"

Kate was grateful Martha had lightened the mood and chuckled along with her. "So that is what he meant by filling me in?" she asked.

"Actually no. What he wanted me to tell you is that any time you want to come here to eat, Jacques will bring you to our table."

Kate sputtered, "What!"

Martha smiled, "Just think! There is a big line of people outside trying to get in, bribing people to give up their reservation, and you just waltz on past them and Jacques brings you right in!"

"But Martha…"

Martha reached across the table and took her hand. She looked her in the eyes and in all seriousness said, "Kate. This is part of what I meant with 'welcome to our world.' Richard is so in love with you; I have never seen him care for someone as much other than Alexis. Dear, you _are_ part of our family, and we all love you very much."

Kate sat in her chair, stunned. Although things seemed to be going so fast on the emotional front with him, she never realized just how deeply Rick loved her. 'Mom knew this kind of love with Dad' she thought. 'And now so do I.'

Paul came and took their now empty dishes away. Kate couldn't remember a time when a meal had been so good except for dinner at Chez Castle last Thursday. 'Chez Castle' she thought, 'even then there were hints if I knew what to look for.'

Kate came back to earth hearing Martha say, "No thank you Paul, I think we'll just have some coffee."

Kate looked up at Martha and smiled. She felt she was actually beginning to love this woman. She now understood why Rick was as special as he is.

"Well, enough talk of Jean and restaurants," Martha said, "it's time for the real reason I brought you here today."

Since she was acting the Diva again, Kate knew whatever Martha was about to say would be dramatic. She sat up in her chair and prepared to hear what Martha's real reason was.

She lifted her glass for a sip of water when Martha said, "Ok kiddo, let's get down to basics. What are your intentions to my son?"

Kate almost choked on her water, and surprised herself when she able to swallow after Martha asked her question.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"You heard me, what are your intentions to my son?"

Kate, who was never usually at a loss for words, couldn't think of a thing to say. Was this really why they were here? She had been enjoying her time with Martha so much and it was all to ask this question?

She opened her mouth to speak but before she could formulate an answer Martha started to chuckle. "Kate, dear, close your mouth. I'm sorry but I couldn't resist."

Kate closed her mouth and looked at Martha in puzzlement. "What couldn't you resist?" she asked.

"You two are so right for each other. The look on your face almost mirrored Richard's when he came home and told me the story."

The story? What story? Now this she had to hear. She leaned towards Martha and said, "Ok, after that, you _have_ to tell me."

"I always intended to Kate. It really is funny but at the time my son didn't think so." Martha smiled and added, "Actually I think he _still _doesn't think so."

Kate took another sip of her water, smiled at Martha and said, "So start telling."

"When Richard was about 20 he had a good friend named Joey. Joey came from an old fashioned and traditional Italian family. He and Richard were very close and attended many of the same classes in college. This is before he sold his first book."

She paused for a moment and said, "Joey's family just loved Richard. His mother would always pinch his cheek when he arrived and she always made something special for him to eat. She once said he was so handsome he could be a saint!"

Kate started to chuckle, thinking his "Castle" ego didn't need any help.

Martha took a sip of her wine and continued, "Joey had a younger sister named Maria. For several years Maria had a crush on Richard. One day he turned around and Maria wasn't that irritating little sister who followed him around any more, she had grown up."

Martha smiled, remembering the time. "Maria was turning into a real beauty. You know from the movies those sultry Italian actresses? Well she was probably going to put them to shame. Boys were trying to get her to go on a date but she only had eyes for Richard, and she let him know it in no uncertain terms!"

Kate looked on, partly liking the story because it was about Rick, but not thrilled to hear about him with a gorgeous Italian beauty, especially one who had a crush on him.

Martha, seeing the look on Kate's face said, "Oh don't worry Kate, it gets much better than this! After a while Richard asked Maria out on a date. I remember how thrilled she was. Rick was looking forward to it too. He had known her for years, but more importantly, he was already known and well liked by the family. He didn't feel the nervousness of meeting her folks."

Martha started to chuckle, "He arrived at her house to pick her up and her mother answered the door. Instead of calling him Ricky as she always did, she called him Richard and quickly invited him into the living room where he sat down on a plastic covered couch. She closed the door at the hallway leading to the bedrooms and sat in a chair across from him. She looked him in the eye and with all seriousness said, "So. Richard. What are your intentions to my daughter?"

Kate's eyes opened wide and she started to chuckle along with Martha.

"Wait, there's more. She had a heavy accent and all Richard could say was "What?" So she asked him again, "What are your intentions to my daughter!" and Richard could only reply, "We're going to a movie."

Kate started to laugh harder as Martha continued. "She looked at him with an almost angry expression and said, "Not for now, how will you support her and my grandchildren?"

Both women were laughing harder now and Martha had a difficult time speaking, "Just then Maria came out of the hallway door, saw her mother with Richard, saw the look on Richard's face and started yelling at her. Her mother started yelling back and Richard was stuck sitting on the couch not knowing what was happening since it was all in Italian!"

Martha stopped to catch her breath. "Maria's mother got up from her chair and went down the hall, slamming the door behind her. Maria angrily took Richard by the hand and said "Come on" and they went to the movies."

She looked at Kate who was trying to stop the tears of laughter from falling and said, "To this day he can't tell you what movie they went to see. All he could think about was the conversation and how he went from a saint to supporting grandchildren."

They were both laughing so hard that Kate had a hard time stopping, but she caught her breath and asked, "What happened after that?"

Martha started to laugh and said, "Oh Kate, the look of horror on his face as he told me this is forever etched in my mind. How I wish I had a camera then! Suffice it to say there was no second date."

Kate and Martha were still laughing when Paul returned with their coffees and the bill. Kate tried to reach over to pay and Martha slapped her hand! "No you don't! _I_ invited you, so don't even try!"

"But Martha, this place must be so expensive, let me put in something."

"Don't worry about a thing dear, I have it covered." Martha said as she opened her purse and took out a Black American Express Card. She placed the card on the bill and Kate realized she never once looked to see what the total was.

Sipping her coffee, which she had to admit, was the most delicious she ever tasted, Kate took a quick look at the card. She had never seen a black Amex card before…wait, was that, oh my gosh it was…a Centurion! She took another glance and saw the name on it was Richard Castle!

She coughed as the coffee went down the wrong way and never made any other sign that she had seen the card. She thought she would try to pay Rick back but realized there was no way she could. He was as stubborn as she was in some ways.

'Well that's one advantage of dating Rick' she thought. 'I admit that I can sometimes be stubborn…perhaps infrequently…hmmm, hardly ever?...possibly rarely…well maybe once or twice if I really think hard about it.'

She was brought out of her thoughts when Paul arrived and handed the card back to Martha without running it through for payment. "Miss Rogers, surely you recall that Mr. Castle settles his account each month." He smiled and added, "We will not accept your card."

Back to being the Diva again Martha said, "Very well Paul, if you won't accept it from me I will make sure Richard adds a proper gratuity on there for you." She patted his hand and said, "You always take such good care of us."

Martha then looked at Kate, "Almost ready to go dear?" she asked.

Kate finished her coffee and said, "Yes Martha, thank you so much. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this."

Martha smiled and started to gather her things and stand up. Kate followed suit and soon the two were walking out of Chez Jean once again arm in arm.

"Did you enjoy your meal, ladies?" Jacques asked as they approached the door.

'Kate?" Martha asked.

"I can honestly say it was one of the two best meals I have ever had." Kate said sincerely.

A big smile came over Jacques' face as he said, "Thank you so much Miss Beckett. And may I say we hope to see you again soon."

With that he opened the door and the two walked out to see Pyotr standing by the restaurant door, intimidating anyone nearby with his size alone, and Paval by the Town Car ready to open the door for them.

"I took the liberty of letting Pyotr know you were getting ready to leave" Jacques said, and smiling at them both, quietly closed the door.

Pyotr escorted them to the car and Kate smiled at Paval and said in perfect Russian, "_Thank you very much_."

Pyotr gave a surprised grin but Paval's smile stretched across his face as he replied in Russian, "_It is our pleasure Miss Beckett_."

The ride back was uneventful and Kate simply enjoyed the afterglow of a surprising and very enjoyable lunch, so much that she didn't realize when they arrived at the precinct.

Pyotr was getting ready to open the door for Kate when Martha took her hand and said, "Kate, Richard made two mistakes when he married the wrong women."

She turned to face Kate and continued, "They only wanted his fame or his money, they never wanted him, or us."

Kate's mouth was suddenly dry and she wished she could swallow as she looked into Martha's serious eyes.

"Kate, for the first time in my life I feel I have a daughter. I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful you make me feel."

She opened her arms and Kate fell into them, into a hug she hadn't felt in years. Both women cried as they held on, gaining strength in each other's arms.

Kate slowly pulled away and Martha gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Better fix your makeup dear before you go to your desk."

The detective gave a little hiccup of laughter as she slowly got out of the car. Pyotr looked at her and speaking in Russian said, "_It has been a pleasure Miss Beckett. Till next meeting._"

Kate thanked him and replied in kind then headed towards the door and the curious officers who were watching the Town Car. 'Between Rick, Alexis and now Martha I feel I have been included in one gigantic, loving Castle hug', she thought.

As she walked through the door she quietly said to herself, "Lanie is _never_ gonna believe this!"

.

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**Authors Note:** What can I say but Wow! Before posting this chapter my little one shot has garnered 101 Reviews, 100 Story Alerts and 91 Favorite Story Alerts. Thank you so much! I also want to apologize for taking so long with this chapter. I guess most writers here have pretty much written the whole story prior to posting, in my case this was just a one shot and was finished after the first chapter…then I started thinking of other things and we now have 11 chapters with more to come. BTW did you spot the real story that actually happened to me? ;-p


	12. Chapter 12, Friday at the Loft

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 12, Sunday at the Loft

By RGoodfellow64

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DISCLAIMER: The hardest words we as Castle FanFiction writers will ever have to say…"I don't own Castle. The show and characters are owned by Andrew Marlow and ABC."

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"You spilled corn meal on the floor."

"No I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Then why are my feet going crunch?"

"My dear detective, feet do not go crunch…unless you have some major podiatric issues."

"Podiatric? Who uses podiatric in a sentence?"

"World famous and utterly irresistible authors…well there is actually only one on the planet that fits the description…and you, you lucky woman, are standing next to him."

"Standing in corn meal!"

"It's a tradition Kate, you have to go with tradition."

"Yeah, well, tradition or not, _you_ get to clean it up!"

Rick simply smiled at her as she turned back to the job at hand. Making pizza. He and Alexis started making their own pizza when she was only three years old, and now Kate was part of that family tradition.

"Dad! Did that mushroom just come off of the floor?"

"Rick! I thought you threw that away?"

"Umm, why? It's a perfectly sliced mushroom."

"Why? Dad, it was on the floor!"

"How would you know if it was on the floor?" Rick asked.

Kate looked over at the pizza and said with a smirk, "How about because it has corn meal on it."

"Richard, you really should have been more careful with the cornmeal. Now you've been busted…by a police detective no less."

Martha then turned to Kate and asked, "Dear, will you hand me that bottle of wine please? This one gave up the ghost after only half a glass and I don't want to track corn meal all over the carpet."

Kate picked up the bottle, saw it was still corked and opened it before gingerly walking to the breakfast bar. "You know Martha, I can understand corn meal being put on the stone so the pizza comes off easy, but why does it have to go on the floor?"

While Martha merely smiled and shook her head, Alexis answered, "Dad never explained that part to me Kate. But maybe it's just to make it easy to see what he dropped on the floor?"

All three women laughed at this, while Rick gave out a large sigh and dramatically asked the ceiling, "Why is it that the women I love gang up on me all the time?"

Alexis giggled, Kate rolled her eyes and Martha said, "Darling, an actor you are not, stick to writing, at least you'll be able to pay the bills."

As Kate headed back to the pizza's on the counter, Rich asked, "Mother didn't you have plans for tonight?"

"Yes dear," Martha replied, "but you three are so much more entertaining, I just wish I had a camera to film it..." then with a dramatic flair she continued, "Oh wait! What's this over here on the counter? Why I do believe it is a video camera and that it's pointed in your direction! You don't suppose it's been recording since you started, do you?"

Kate turned around and said in alarm, "Martha! You haven't been recording this, have you?"

Martha smiled and poured her wine, but Alexis had the biggest grin on her face and Kate couldn't help but see it.

"Alexis?"

Her grin getting even bigger Alexis replied, "Yeeesssss."

"Where did that camera come from, and is it on?"

"Do you mean that camera way over there that you can't reach from the kitchen?" Alexis asked sweetly.

"Alexis Castle!"

Unable to contain her laughter Alexis said, "It's a home movie Kate. It's tradition!"

"How come I never heard of a Castle home movie tradition before?" Kate asked as she headed out the kitchen to get the camera.

"Hey! Be careful!" Rick said to Kate with a smirk on his face, "You don't want to track cornmeal all over the carpet do you?"

Kate spun around and with hands on hips said to Rick, "Oh! So now there's cornmeal on the floor?"

With a surprised look on his face Rick answered, "Well of course there is Kate. Can't you hear your feet crunching when you walk?"

Narrowing her eyes she walked towards him and he kept stepping back till he ended up in the corner with no place to run. As she got closer with her finger poised to start poking, her foot slipped and she fell into him; his arms quickly catching her before she fell any further.

"I think there's some olive oil there too." He said with a grin, then gave her a quick kiss and let her go. Kate tried to glare at him but couldn't keep up the pretence and started to giggle.

Martha shook her head and said "I could sell tickets." She then took a sip of wine and smiled at the family scene playing out before her.

'Martha Rogers, this is quite possibly the happiest that you have seen this family since he was born.' She thought to herself. 'I wish he found her ten years ago. She makes every other woman I've seen him with seem two dimensional.'

Taking another sip of wine Martha simply sat and delighted in the feeling of family that pervaded the Castle household. And it was all because of Kate Beckett. Somehow she filled an empty place that no one realized was there, but when she was gone it was obvious.

Kate meanwhile gave Rick a big smile, caressed his arm and went back to the pizza she was working on. She was having fun and wondered to herself why she held back for so long.

This was not what life was supposed to be like with Richard Castle. It was supposed to be non stop party's, dining at the fanciest and paparazzi filled restaurants, your photo on Page 6 hanging on his arm, being the flavor of the week or if you were lucky, lasting the month.

'No,' she thought, 'life with Rick was not supposed to be family fun.' She looked around the kitchen at Rick, Alexis and Martha. '_This_, this is what I dreamed of, being part of a real family again. This is the quiet fun, playing games, watching TV sitting on the couch snuggled together, making and eating popcorn, pillow fights…the simple joy of being together.'

She thought of all her previous relationships in the past ten years and how predictable they were. And those times in between, when she would go to some of the wildest bars in New York; it was never really fun, just something to do to fill the empty time.

She smiled as she remembered the last time she was in a club, how she caught Rick checking her out as she made her way to their suspect. Her smile widened as she saw again the look on his face when she turned around. 'Hmmm, maybe a little more swish in the hips…but definitely NOT on corn meal!" she thought.

She had no idea that Rick was stealing quick glances at her as she was working on her pizza. Watching the smile on her face and just quietly soaking in the pleasure of being with them all. He always had fun making pizza with Alexis, but tonight was different; tonight was almost magical in how seamless they all fit together. Looking at Kate with love in his eyes he thought. 'I can't recall a time I was ever this happy.'

He quickly turned back to the pizza he was working on but like a magnet he had to look at her again. As he did he saw Kate was looking at him, and they both shyly grinned at each other, before looking down again at their creations.

Alexis kept looking at the two of them and beaming. They were so engrossed in what they were doing that they didn't see the happiness that shone from her face. It was so nice with Kate in their lives, 'I so want this to be forever' she thought.

The video camera forgotten, the pizzas were assembled, put on the stones and then put in the oven. That done Kate walked to the end of the tile floor, taking Alexis' arm on her way, where they took off their shoes, walked to Martha, and sat down on the stools at the breakfast bar. Alexis had her water while Kate took a glass and half filled it with wine from the bottle she'd given Martha.

"Hey! Why'd you leave?" Rick exclaimed.

"Clean up time. Your job if I recall, Mr. Castle."

"Yeah Dad, as my father you should show me responsible behavior and clean up the mess you made."

Kate grinned and put her arm around Alexis' shoulder and they both turned to watch Rick…giving him their best puppy dog looks.

Watching the look of horror on his face Martha started to laugh. "Oh this is priceless!" she said. "My lucky, lucky son, you have finally met your match." She saluted him with her glass, turned to Kate and Alexis and said, "Well my dears, let's check out a movie for tonight and make room on the coffee table for the food."

As they headed towards the living room Martha asked, "When can we expect your father to arrive, Kate?"

Kate looked at her wrist but remembered she'd taken the watch off when they were making pizzas. Looking around she saw the time on the DVR and said, "Not for another twenty minutes or so."

As they sat on the couch, Kate smiled and said, "My dad has always been a stickler for being on time. My mom told me that when he first asked her out, he timed the trip to her place from several directions, just to make sure he wasn't late to pick her up. That's how nervous he was to make a good impression."

As Kate was thinking about her parents, Martha noticed Kate's smile and saw it was a happy one, not melancholy. 'I believe she is starting to heal', she thought to herself.

Kate meanwhile was remembering how her mother smiled when she told that story. They were sitting at the kitchen table when Kate was fifteen years old, and her mother had made her a tomato sandwich, neatly cutting off the bottom crust from the bread, just as she liked it when she was a little girl.

They were talking about boys, and Kate wondered how she would know when she found the one for her. She was pensive as she remembered the dialog between them.

"How did you know Dad was the right one for you? Did you know from the beginning?"

A big smile appeared as her mother said, "Oh no Katie, as a matter of fact, at first I didn't like your dad at all!"

"What?"

"I thought he was a smart alec, and he always seemed to have girls around him."

Kate was shocked. "Girls? Dad?"

"I thought he had a lot of girlfriends, so did my friends, some of them told me not to go out with him.

"Dad?"

"Yes Katie, your dad. He was handsome and a smooth talker."

"But…Dad?" Kate asked is surprise.

Her mother laughed, took a sip of coffee and said, "When I first met him, he seemed to be the opposite of everything I looked for. Oh he was funny and could be charming, but nothing like I wanted in a boyfriend. You see, I knew exactly what I wanted, just the right guy for me, and there really wasn't anything about your dad that was on my list. Then there were the girls, even though he tried to spend time with me, there was always some girl walking by and smiling at him, and I didn't just want to be another one of his girlfriends."

"So why did you ever go out with him?"

"I couldn't trust what he told me. He was a real smooth talker, so I decided to ignore him, hoping he would go away. When that didn't work I tried going out with other boys, sometimes with ones I really knew weren't for me, letting him know I didn't want him there, that I didn't think of him that way, but he still stuck around."

"At the student hall whenever he saw me at a table he would come over. He looked for me around campus and he learned what I liked."

Her eyes lost focus as she said, "Your dad learned just how I liked my coffee, and then always brought one to me at the student union between morning classes. Soon I was looking forward to seeing him around 10am every weekday, and we'd spend time just talking. But as much as he wanted, I did not go out with him."

"But why? I mean…he's Dad!"

Laughing, her mother answered, "I did not trust what I was seeing. I only believed what I had heard about him and seen earlier. I figured he would date me a couple of times and then get bored and move on to some of the other girls."

"Dad had girls around him? Really?"

"Oh yes, after a few months of talking every morning I went to a party where I saw him at a table, and girls seemed to flock around him." A soft smile appeared on her face as she remembered something.

"What are you smiling at Mom?"

"I walked into the party with my girlfriend, and we saw your dad with four or five girls around him, all laughing and having a good time; but the minute he saw me, he forgot all about them."

She looked at Kate and with a soft smile said, "When I saw he only had eyes for me will all those girls around, I knew he deserved a chance."

"So the next time he asked you went out with him?"

"Yes Katie I did. And it was the smartest thing I have ever done."

"Huh?"

Kate can still see her mothers smile and hear the joy in her voice when she answered, "Of course, because I married the love of my life and got you!"

Suddenly Kate felt the cushion move as Alexis jumped next to her with a half dozen movies in her hand. "I can't make up my mind Kate! I need help!"

Kate smiled and took the DVD's from Alexis and the two of them looked through the movies. "What's 'The Wrong Box'?", Kate asked.

Alexis gushed, "I was hoping you'd see that one! It's a very funny movie from 1966 and Michael Cain is just yummy in it!"

Kate looked at Alexis and tried to hide her smile, "Yummy? Does your dad know you think Michael Cain looks 'yummy'?"

Alexis just gave a big grin and said, "Nope." Then laughed along with Kate at her answer.

"Well, I don't think I'd mind seeing a 'yummy' Michael Cain myself Miss Castle. Why don't we watch it tonight then?" She turned to Martha and said, "What do you think Martha, care to watch 'The Wrong Box' tonight?"

"Girls, you will never need to ask me twice to watch Michael Cain, and as for 'yummy', the way he could melt you with his eyes, and boy oh boy could he kiss!"

Kate and Alexis just stared at Martha till Alexis squealed, "Gram! You kissed Michael Cain?"

"I was twenty four and had several parts in plays and TV under my belt when my agent got me an audition for the movie 'Gambit', which starred Michael Cain. Even though Michael thought I nailed the audition, the director had Shirley MacLaine in mind and I didn't get the part. But I sure did get to kiss him, and believe me, he was 'yummy'!"

Just then Rick walked into the living room and said, "Yummy? You bet, these pizzas will be more than yummy, can't you smell them already?"

The three ladies looked at each other and started to laugh. Rick looked puzzled and asked, "What? What did I say?" Which got them all laughing even harder.

As a frustrated Rick waited for someone to answer his question, the doorbell rang.

Kate looked up and trying to contain her laughter said, "That's my dad, right on time."

Alexis jumped up and said; "I'll get it!" then ran to the front door and opened it to see a smiling Jim Beckett standing outside with an ice cream cake he brought for dessert.

"Hello! You must be Alexis." Jim said with a smile.

"Yes, Mr. Beckett, I am. Please come in!" Alexis replied in such a mature way that Rick was suddenly reminded that his little girl was growing up.

As Kate and Martha stood up to greet Jim, Martha leaned into Rick and whispered, "You knew it was going to happen one day kiddo! Welcome to _my_ world of parenting."

Alexis took the ice cream cake and before putting it in the freezer made a point of asking her father if he'd cleaned up the mess.

After hearing that, Jim had a puzzled expression on his face as he turned to meet the adults coming to greet him. He first noticed Kate and was astonished at the transformation in her. For the first time since his Jo died, he saw his little girl again. That exuberance for life that she seemed to leave behind, along with all her dreams and aspirations, was back. Not the way it had been, but it wasn't buried deep and hidden away. He could see his daughter returning to life and felt a wave of love and gratitude.

Kate saw the puzzled look on her dad's face but then saw it change. His eyes glowed with his feelings for her and she felt a lump in her throat as he opened his arms for a hug and a kiss. For a brief moment while he held her she felt like his little girl again, and it felt so good.

Jim held Kate and kissed the top of her head then looked over as Rick and a woman who must be his mother came up to them.

"Thanks for coming Jim, it's been a while." Rick said as he extended his hand when Jim released Kate.

"Good to see you too Rick," Jim replied with a smile, "and is this Martha?"

Rick put on a dramatic pose and said, "Jim Beckett, may I introduce my mother, Martha Rogers? Jim, this is Martha, Martha this is Jim."

Kate smiled and swatted Rick's arm while saying, "What did Martha tell you about not giving up your day job? Oh wait, I'm the one with the job, you just follow and annoy me!"

Jim, watching the dynamics between the two just smiled and put out his hand to Martha. "Hi, I guess it's no secret my name is Jim, and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Martha took his hand and said, "The pleasure is mine. I have heard so much about you from Kate and Rick. It's a shame I was working when you were here last."

"I have been looking forward to meeting you. I remember seeing you on stage about 20 years ago in 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.' Jo and I thought you were just wonderful."

On hearing that Martha broke out in a huge grin, grabbed his arm and led Jim into the living room, "I remember that play as if it were yesterday, it was so much fun! I am so glad you liked my performance, I can never tell if I am really getting through to the audience…"

As they watched Martha lead Jim away Rick turned to Kate, whispering, "Uh oh, I don't think she'll let go of him the rest of the night…oh, I better check the pizzas, they should just about be done." He then headed toward the kitchen.

Kate smiled, patted Rick's arm as he left and then called out, "Dad, what do you want to drink?"

Jim turned around and said, "Ice tea will be fine Katie." Then looked beyond to Rick and smiled. "Rick?" he asked, "Why do you have a hand print on your pants?"

Rick stopped, turned around and said, "Huh?"

"There is someone's handprint on your right, hmmm, how to put this delicately…"

Martha interrupted, "Kate's handprint is on your right cheek Richard."

Kate started to giggle as Rick tried to look over his shoulder to his butt.

"Dad, the pizzas are done."

Pulling on his pants and twisting in a very awkward angle, Rick was able to see only the tiniest bit of white on his right butt. Looking up at Kate who was now outright laughing he said, "And just what exactly is this Miss Beckett?"

Martha looked back and said, "She was merely marking her territory dear; Jim, tonight we're going to watch a movie with Michael Cain, who I auditioned with early in my career."

"Dad! The pizzas!"

.

.

Jim swallowed and said, "Oh, these are so good! They're better than any I bought, even from a pizzeria!"

Kate smiled and said, "That's the one that I made, Rick's has the mushrooms." Giving a side glance to Rick she said, "One or more may have some extra cornmeal on them."

Jim noticed the interplay between the members of this unique family, and realized that Kate not only fit in, but actually filled a major place in it. Martha was to his left in a comfy side chair, he was sitting on the couch with Kate in the middle and Alexis at the other end, and Rick was sitting on the floor at the end of the table.

After changing his pants, Rick had placed the pizzas on the large coffee table while Alexis and Kate put down plates, and napkins. Martha was given a knife and fork, but everybody else ate with their hands.

Alexis got up and asked if anyone wanted more to drink and went to the kitchen to get herself another water. When she returned she had a camera in her hand and set it up to take a family photo.

Jim laughed along with Kate and Martha as Alexis would set up the camera on the TV stand in front of them, start the timer and try to get back on the couch before it went off. Unfortunately for her she had to go past her father and Rick was having fun blocking her. Jim figured there were about 12 missed shots before she was finally able to get the photo's she wanted. Kate said not to delete any of them till she saw them, and they all went back to eating their pizza.

A few minutes later Alexis said, "Oh my gosh! I forgot all about it!" and jumped up to go to the breakfast bar where she picked up a digital video camera.

Smiling she came back to the living room and asked if anyone was interested in seeing a movie. When Jim said yes she set it up with the TV and soon they were all watching the movie of Kate, Rick and Alexis making the dinner they just enjoyed.

As he watched the home movie Jim had a hard time containing the tears that filled his eyes. Luckily everyone else's eyes were tearing from laughing so hard that he fit right in; but Jim Beckett wasn't teary-eyed from laughter, he was teary-eyed from gratitude, and from the joy of seeing his daughter back from the dark place she'd been for all these years.

He watched as Kate teased Rick and saw when she put her hand on his butt, making believe it was a romantic pat, but when she was done, she turned and winked at Alexis as a clear white handprint was now on Rick's dark pants.

Jim stole glances at his daughter and could see her constantly looking over to Rick, and whenever he looked to Rick he saw him looking at Kate. He felt a weight lift from his heart as he saw the looks between them, they reminded him of how he and 'Jo', as he has always thought of her, used to look at each other, even before they started dating.

When they came to the part of the film with Rick picking up the mushroom from the floor, Jim said to Kate, "So that's why you wouldn't let me have any of the mushroom pizza!"

This generated another laugh from everyone and soon the home movie ended and Alexis put in the DVD, 'The Wrong Box'.

As the movie was about to start Jim said, "Rick, I have to say I almost feel like I'm in a movie theater. This TV is not just big, but the color is amazing! I've never seen anything like it."

Hearing this Kate put her head in her hands, shook it back and forth and said to herself, but loud enough for all to hear, "Oh no. No, no, no."

Puzzled by his daughters reaction Jim was about to question her when Rick answered, "Thank you Jim. I happen to know a guy who keeps an eye out for me every year at the big Electronics show in Las Vegas. This set blew every other one out of the water this year."

Kate lifted her head out of her hands and looking at Rick said, "No!"

Puzzled by this Jim said, "No? No, what?"

At the same time Rick said, "But Kate, you know how much you like it and all you have is that dinky little 19 inch antique. Imagine how much more you'll enjoy watching TV with one of these…"

"I happen to like my dinky little 19 inch antique, and you never complained about watching it before!"

Putting his hand over his heart Rick gave a hurt look and said, "I was merely showing the proper manners my mother instilled in me when I was but a young innocent boy."

While this conversation was going on Alexis put the movie on hold and smiling, looked at her grandmother, and Jim. This looked like it was much more fun to watch than the movie.

"Rick, I am perfectly content with my TV, it works just fine and…"

"Not only do you need a new TV Kate, but you really need an entertainment system. I mean, really, no one can hear anything from the even dinkier speakers on that dinky TV."

"I can hear it just fine Rick. I do not need an entertainment system, I don't watch much TV anyway and I usually just watch the news."

"And how many times have you been in your kitchen and asked me what was just said on your TV? Hmmm? I have a really good memory Kate, and if you want me to add them up…"

Kate got a very serious look on her face and said, "Rick! I told you I _do not_ want you buying me things! I'm serious about this! I don't care how many 'guys' you know, I do not want you to trick out my apartment with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets!"

"But Kate…"

"No! Rick I mean it, no!

Jim, Martha and Alexis looked at each other and realized that this wasn't a fun argument any more, something more serious was happening here.

Alexis decided to lighten the mood and reminded everyone they had a movie to watch, then started the DVR again; all the while glancing to her father on her right and Kate on her left. Both of them had a stubborn look on their face. Alexis immediately grabbed Kate's arm and gushed, "Oh Kate, I can't wait to see what you think of the movie. I really like it!"

Glaring at Rick, Kate realized that this was not the time or place for what was quickly becoming an on going argument between them. She took her eyes off Rick, smiled at Alexis and leaned into her saying, "I am too sweetie, I am too."

Within minutes they were all laughing at the movie and enjoying themselves. Halfway through Alexis put it on pause and declared that it was popcorn time and asked Kate if she would like to help her make it. Kate agreed and the two of them headed to the kitchen, bringing the empty plates with them.

As they disappeared into the kitchen Martha turned to Rick and said, "Really, Richard. When are you ever going to learn?"

Running his hand through his hair Rick answered, "Mother, I just want to do so much for her, to let her know how much she means to me. I want to buy her things. What good is having money if it just sits in a bank? Life is too short not to enjoy it."

"I take it that Kate doesn't want you buying things for her and you want to?" Jim asked.

"Yeah," Rick replied, "it seems to be something that can really make her upset."

Looking up at Jim he said, "I am not trying to _buy_ her, or her affections, but she seems to think that if I get her things that's what people will think."

He paused and said in a low breath, "I just want her to have everything."

Jim smiled at that and said, "Well Rick, speaking as her father I like your attitude, but you really need to work on compromising with Kate."

He paused for a moment and said, "Once she's made up her mind, it isn't easy to get Kate to change it, but if you have valid points, she does listen. Doesn't mean she'll change her mind, but she does listen."

Just then Alexis and Kate were back, carrying four big bowls of popcorn.

"Dig in everybody," Kate said, "we made butter, cheddar cheese, caramel and plain with a little salt."

Turning to Jim she said, "Dad, Alexis showed me their movie theater popcorn machine, you'd be amazed at how fast it makes the popcorn!"

"I can get you one of those! You can have delicious popcorn whenever you want!"

"Rick! I said no!"

"Let's get back to the movie!" Alexis said, and started it up again.

Although she was still upset with Rick, she wasn't angry and did not want anything to ruin the evening, so Kate put her thoughts aside and simply enjoyed watching the movie.

By the time it ended, everyone had been laughing so hard there were tears in their eyes. Alexis asked Kate who her favorite character was and there was no hesitation in her answer, "Peacock!" she said with a smile.

"Peacock?" Rick asked with a delighted grin. "He's my favorite too! I've always thought he was the best character in the movie."

"It's true Kate, ever time he sees this movie Dad starts talking like Peacock when he answers the door." Alexis said with a smile, then gave Rick a look that spoke volumes of the love she has for him.

Kate laughed, thinking of Rick opening the door and acting like a man in his nineties.

Jim stood up and said, "I haven't had so much fun in years. Thanks so much for inviting me."

"You're welcome here anytime Jim." Rick replied, but then turned his eyes towards Kate as she also stood up and stretched after sitting too long.

Noticing him staring at her from the corner of her eyes Kate exaggerated her stretch just a little bit and enjoyed the reaction she got from Rick. Then turning her head she looked him in the eyes, smiled and gave a wink.

Un-noticed by the group, Martha sat and watched what was happening and chuckled to herself. If she thought Rick had it bad for Kate, she just discovered that it was equaled by how bad Kate had it for Rick.

A very pleased smile came to her face and she also stood as Jim turned to her and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you Martha. I had a wonderful time with your family."

"I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you as well Jim." Martha replied. "We must do this again soon. It really was a lot of fun."

Alexis started cleaning up and said, "I have to meet Paige early tomorrow so I'd better get to bed soon."

"Alexis, do you need any help cleaning up?"

"No thanks Kate. There isn't much to do. I'll be done in no time."

"Ok then, if you're sure." Kate answered, then turned to Jim and said, "Let me give you a ride home Dad, it's a bit late for a taxi or the subway."

"Spending more time with my favorite girl? What a deal! I'll take it!" Jim said while Kate laughed at his reply.

"Watch out for the springs in the seat Jim, they can be nasty!" Rick said.

Kate gave Rick a light slap on the arm and said, "Don't listen to him Dad. Think of the 'Princess and the Pea' story and replace the princess with Rick."

Looking back at Rick with a sly smile she added, "He's so sensitive Dad, you wouldn't believe."

Making a fake frown Rick said, "I think I've just been insulted, in a most complimentary way."

Walking to the door Kate stopped by Rick saying, "Think about it writer." Then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Jim followed and they headed towards the door to leave. Rick, Alexis and Martha followed and they ended up laughing at how everyone got in each others way as they hugged, kissed and shook hands goodnight.

.

.

After sitting in her car for about five minutes, Jim turned to Kate and said, "You know Kate, Rick wasn't kidding, this seat is very uncomfortable."

She turned to him in surprise, "It is?"

"Yes, haven't you ever sat here?"

"Um, no. I always drive. Cas…I mean Rick always sits there."

Catching her slip of the tongue, he smiled and said, "So you think of him as Castle at work and Rick outside? Or maybe a little of both?"

Feeling herself start to blush Kate answered, "A little of both actually. We want to keep things professional at work, so I'm Beckett and he's Castle…but for the past two weeks Rick and Kate come out quite a bit too. Soooo, yeah, it's a bit of both."

Jim chuckled and said, "I can still hear the excitement in your voice when you called to tell me you were going to meet Richard Castle and question him about a case you were working on. How did you say it again?"

Kate did blush now but replied, "I said I was going to meet 'The One And Only Richard Freaking Castle', and you asked if I was going to get another autograph."

Jim smiled and looking over to her saw her eyes were shining. "Did you get that autograph?"

Kate laughed and said, "He turned around with a pen and you have no idea where he expected to write it." She paused for a second then added, "He was kinda cute though."

"Mmm hmm, but if I recall you probably didn't think he was so cute later that night. When I called to ask how the meeting went you were so disappointed in him."

"Yes I was Dad, but he has sure made up for it since then."

They sat in companionable silence as she drove them through the streets of New York. Kate was thinking of the past year and more specifically the past two weeks, but Jim was thinking how the name Castle changed over the past few years.

At first she was furious that he was going to follow her around, and when she spoke his name it was usually in an angry way. But soon she grudgingly admitted that he could be helpful, and occasionally even chuckled at something he said or did.

Jim knew his daughter, and even though she hid herself behind a detectives mask and badge, he knew the sweet, loving and irrepressible Kate Beckett was still inside, hiding from the world. Somehow, beyond all expectations, Richard Castle found her and brought her out. Jim was so grateful to see her like this he felt he had to say something about Rick.

"Katie, till your apartment exploded I only saw Rick through your words, and he went from an unwanted pain in the posterior to a welcomed and trusted friend and partner. The way you spoke about him I actually thought you were dating him and was very surprised to find you weren't."

Kate turned to look at him in surprise as he continued.

"Sweetheart, your happiness is all that matters to me, and all that mattered to your Mom. I haven't seen you as happy and fulfilled since she died. Rick and his family are good for you. _Very_ good for you; and if what I saw tonight is any indication, _you_ are very good for them too."

He paused for a moment and said, "Remember when I helped Alexis bring back more water and ice tea?"

Kate nodded yes.

"When we were in the kitchen I mentioned how you seemed to be having a good time and she said something very profound."

"What was that Dad?"

"For a teenager she is extremely intuitive, she said there was a Kate sized hole in their lives, and now they feel like a real family. Katie, that is all because of you. You are very special to them, and they know it and appreciate you."

"I know that Dad. That family never holds back on affection. They wear their hearts on their sleeves and when they love you, they love you with every part of them."

She felt her eyes fill with tears as she said, "And they are important to me too, Dad; oh so very important."

It wasn't long after that Kate dropped her father off at his home and promised to get together in the next few days. She laughed when he said he was going to go on line to find a DVD of 'The Wrong Box', so he could sound like Peacock when she comes to visit.

About twenty minutes later she arrived at her apartment and parked the car. As she was about to get out her phone buzzed and she saw a text message from Rick. She smiled as she read, "Hey beautiful! How do you text a wolf whistle? Is it tweeeet, tweet?"

She laughed and texted back, "U R Weird! But ILY."

Her phone rang. "Yes Mr. Castle?"

"Oh my goodness Kate! Only a little over an hour since you left and you're falling apart! You've forgotten how to spell! It's terrible!"

"Oh? And how would you do it?"

"Hang up and watch grasshopper."

She hung up the phone and thought 'grasshopper? Oh yeah, the Kung Fu marathon Thursday.'

Her phone buzzed and she saw his text, "I _ You."

'Huh?' she thought, 'I blank you?'

The phone buzzed again, "Uh oh, wingdings didn't work!"

"What was the wingding?"

"A great big heart to show I love you!"

With a big smile on her face she texted him back, "Back atcha Rick." And headed to her apartment.

She opened her door and turned on the light, placed her purse on the stand under the signed cast photo from Temptation Lane, and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. When she turned on the kitchen light she saw a bouquet of a dozen red roses in a glass vase, along with a card.

She smiled as she reached for the card and thought 'Roses? Rick is usually more original than that, but it's the thought that counts. How did he find a florist open this late to get here and drop them off before I got home?'

She opened the envelope, pulled out the card and smiled, on the front were a man and woman walking on the beach and holding hands at sunset with the words I Love You written in the sand.

She opened the card and her heart stopped, it read, "Kate, I miss you so much and realize what a fool I was. I really want to have another chance to prove myself to you, to show you how much you mean to me. I love you and I want to be with you always. Josh."

"Josh!"

.

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**Authors Note: I have to say up front that I really dislike cliffhangers, I mean **_**really**_** dislike them. There are so many great stories here on FanFiction from wonderful writers, but some writers just love to end a chapter at a cliffhanger. Now don't get me wrong, if a chapter truly comes to an end that is fine, but when you know it's probably the middle of a chapter and it is ended just to create a cliffhanger, it turns me off. I mark Story Alert and wait till the story is complete before I read it. About now you're probably asking if I hate cliffhangers so much, why did I write one? Well dear readers I did not, I will never knowingly do that to you. I just felt like telling my opinion about them. Now that I've said my piece, please read on.**

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'Josh? How the heck did he get into her apartment? He gave his key back when they broke up.' "Oh no! He made another copy! That no good son of a…"

She went back to her purse and took out her phone, just as she picked it up it rang, it was Rick.

She quickly answered, "Hi Rick, I'm home but I can't talk now, I have to call Josh."

"Excuse me?"

"Huh? What?"

"You have to call Josh? Care to elaborate on that comment?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Rick. I got home and found a bouquet of red roses on the kitchen table, I thought they were from you but when I read the card they are from Josh."

"Josh? How the heck did he get in your apartment?"

"He must have made a key for himself when we were dating and didn't give it to me when I broke up with him."

"Why that no good son of a…"

"I already said that. Now let me call him and demand that key back, and tell him to stay out of my life!"

Rick was getting more nervous by the second. "Kate, you're not safe there! You need to get out now. You have no idea where he might be or what he might do!"

He paused to take a breath, "I know! I'll head over to the hospital where he works and wrap his bike around his…"

"Rick! Stop freaking out on me! I will simply tell him to give me back every copy of my key that he has and make him go away."

"Well at the very least you need a new lock, something that is hard to pick. I know a guy…"

"Rick! Not now! Please, everything is ok, I am going to hang up now and call him."

"Ok, but Kate? Please call me when you're finished. Let me know you're ok."

"I will Rick. Now just calm down and I'll call you back."

"Love you."

"I love you too Rick."

Kate hung up on Rick and called Josh. Although she had deleted his number from her phone, she still remembered it and was quietly fuming by the time he answered.

"Hello?"

"Josh?"

"Kate! It's so good to hear your voice, I've missed hearing yo…"

"Why the hell did you keep a key to my apartment Josh! Huh!"

"I didn't remember I had it till after we broke up Kate, and then I spent six weeks in Japan and all I could think of was how much I missed you and how much I wanted to share my experience there with you. You know, I did an awful lot of good there, helped a lot of…"

"Yeah, yeah Josh, I know the drill, you saved the world again. I want that key and I want any other copies you have and I want them by tomorrow!"

"What do you mean 'saved the world', you used to love to hear about my trips to help others."

"You bored me to tears Josh. I found myself dreading when you returned because I knew all I would hear was how great you were."

"But Kate…"

"And whatever possessed you to think that you could simply break into my apartment? I could have you arrested! Think Doctors Without Borders would like that on your resume?"

"Arrested? What's gotten into you Kate? I know it's Castle! He never liked me and he's been poisoning your mind with his lies!"

"Josh, I broke up with you for a reason, a very good reason, and it wasn't Richard Castle."

"But Kate…"

"Josh Davidson I want every copy you made and I swear to you that if you ever, I mean _ever_ do something like this again I will have you arrested! Better yet, I'll tell Esposito and Ryan and no one will ever find your body!"

"Kate!"

"Do you understand what I'm telling you Josh? When I ended things between us I hoped we could at least stay friends and be civil with each other, but after this stunt I want nothing to do with you ever again!"

"But baby…"

"Baby!" she screeched. She could not believe what she just heard. Her eyes were like slits and she spoke quietly in a cold fury. "Dr. Davidson, I have to be at the precinct at 7:30am tomorrow morning. I expect you here at seven with any and all copies of my key."

"But I'm working a double shift, I don't get out till…"

"Well unwork it! If you are not here at 7am I guarantee that I will be at the hospital at 7:30am with several uniforms and I will drag your sorry ass downtown and book you for breaking and entering…and probably stalking as well!"

"Stalking! Kate, we were in love…"

"You may have been in love Josh, with yourself! There was never any room in your heart for me, you proved that time and again when you were never there when I needed you. 7am tomorrow morning Josh, or your career goes in the toilet."

She hung up the phone and had to compose herself. She could not remember when she had ever been so angry in her life. Who did he think he was? She took a few more deep breaths and composed herself before she called Rick. All he had to hear was anything remotely upsetting her and he would do something stupid. Probably romantic as all get out, but still stupid. She pressed his speed dial number on her phone.

"Kate? Are you ok?"

"Yes Rick, I'm fine. No problem. Dr. Davidson will be here tomorrow morning with my key or I will be at the hospital a half hour later to arrest him for breaking and entering."

"Wow! Sounds like you really laid down the law, no pun intended."

"Oh yes, I think he finally understands."

"Understands? Understands what?"

"That I really don't want him in my life in any way at all, that there is nothing there I want to save."

"I can imagine it wasn't a fun experience for you." He paused briefly and then said with child like exuberance, "Want me to come over and hold your hand?"

She smiled. Only Rick could turn her around so quickly and make her feel that special. "No thanks Rick, I'm fine."

"Well how about I come over and you hold _my_ hand, 'cause this shook me all up!"

Kate laughed, "Awww, Ricky. How about I just send you to bed with a kiss?"

"Uh, I'm not going there and you're not coming here, right?"

"Right."

"Sooooo…"

Kate spoke in a sultry voice, "Pucker up babe;" and then sent him a loud smooch over the phone.

Rick laughed and said, "Good grief woman! You'll be the death of me!"

Still speaking in her sultry voice Kate answered, "Not yet Rick, I have lots and lots of plans for you."

"And you expect me to go to sleep? How?"

Feeling so close to him, and even more romantic, she spoke a word that she had only thought before, "Goodnight love."

Rick caught that immediately. "Love? You called me love!"

"Um, yeah?"

She could hear the excitement and joy in his voice, "You, Kate Beckett, called me love! Wow. I can never grow tired of hearing that, but what made you say it?"

"It's how I feel for you inside, and when I said it, it just felt right."

"Kate, you never cease to surprise and amaze me, and for once I have no words except I love you."

"I love you too Rick, goodnight.

"Goodnight…love."

She smiled as she disconnected the call. She would never get tired of hearing him say that to her either.

.

.

At quarter to seven the next morning, she was sitting at her kitchen table with a cup of coffee waiting for Josh. The news was on the TV but as usual she couldn't hear everything that was being said way over here in the kitchen, well twelve feet away in the kitchen.

Her phone rang and she saw it was Rick, "Less than five minutes away if you want me."

"Thank you Rick, but no, I can handle this."

She smiled at his reply, "Ok, but I watched Bruce Lee movies last night and I am so ready to kick some butt!"

She laughed and said, "I thought you were Chuck Norris. Everything's fine and I'll see you at work, ok?"

"All right, but if you need me call, I have been told by a deliciously lovely detective that I give some awesome hugs."

Outside her apartment, shortly before seven the elevator opened and Josh walked out. He was wearing his leather jacket and boots, with chains hanging down. An outfit he knew Kate liked since he was wearing it when he met her. He knew it made him look hot and when he saw her checking him out that first day, he made his move. 'It worked before and it should work again,' he thought. He knew he could turn this around to his benefit and get her back, he was wearing her favorite cologne, the one she said drove her crazy, and he had spent over an hour making his hair look just right. He also was wearing the green shirt that Kate bought him with the top three buttons undone. Bad boy sexy. This was going to be a snap. Ready as he would ever be, he knocked on her door.

When she heard the knock Kate said, "He's here, I'll call you back."

"Ok, love you."

"Love you too." She disconnected the call and removed the smile from her face. She looked at the trash where the roses, torn card and vase were and went back to detective mode again.

Kate opened the door and looked at Josh. She took in the outfit and knew that he wore it thinking it would help win her back. What a jerk. "Leather the new scrubs for the operating room now?" she asked.

Expecting a different reaction from her, Josh back peddled in his mind, 'Ok, she wants to make the first move that way, I can handle it.' "Hi babe. You really look good."

He opened his arms to give her a hug and tried to walk into the apartment but was stopped by her hand on his chest. He tried to push into it and get his arms around her but the arm didn't move. He was surprised, this never happened to him before. He knew he had over a hundred pounds on her but she didn't budge.

He slowly lowered his arms, "Uh, Kate, can I come in?"

'No," she said in a voice devoid of any emotion. She looked like a stone, he had never seen her like this and didn't know how to respond.

"You know what the place looks like, you saw it last night, remember?"

"I thought you'd appreciate the romance. Coming home after a hard day and seeing flowers from someone who loves you."

She was about to speak when he continued, "You know, I put an important bypass surgery on hold just so I could get here to give them to you. He could have died but I got back quick enough to save his life."

'Oh brother,' she thought, 'here it comes…'

"The same way I want to save _our_ life Kate."

The image of Rick standing behind Josh and sticking his finger into his open mouth as a gag reflex came to her mind and she smiled. Thoughts of Rick can always make her smile.

Thinking the smile was for him Josh smirked and grabbed her arm to pull her into a hug when he was forcibly pushed into the hallway.

"I said no Josh, a two letter word that even _you_ should understand."

Now feeling angry Josh stood up straight, the boots he chose added another inch to his height so he knew he looked imposing. His smirk disappeared and he said, "I came here to make amends, not fight, but don't push me babe, don't push me!"

He started to move towards her again and she lifted the finger of her right hand and he stopped. "Josh, if you try to touch me again you will learn first hand what type of training a police officer has. I have kicked the butt of men twice your size without breaking a sweat, and you mister are a pussycat compared to them. Last warning."

Josh stood there in shock, this was not how he planned it; he was hot, he was a cardiac surgeon, and he could have anyone he wants. What the hell was going on here?

Kate put her interrogation face on and simply put out her hand. Josh thought about forcing the issue but he looked at her eyes and recoiled. They were like green ice, and for the first time in years he felt fear. She really didn't want anything to do with him. He sighed, reached into his pocket and pulled out the key and gave it to her. He quickly discarded the thought of trying to hold her hand. He knew he had royally screwed up and he just wanted to get out in one piece.

Kate looked him in the eye and he saw no emotion there at all as she said, "Are there any others?"

"No."

"There better not be. Go. Don't ever come back."

As Josh turned towards the elevator, she didn't give him a second thought, she closed her door and put the key away in her 'junk' drawer. 'Maybe I should take Rick up on changing the lock,' she thought. She laughed as she heard his voice say 'I know a guy.'

Making sure the TV and coffee machine were off, Kate texted Rick and wrote, "On my way, need extra frosting on the bear claw, over and out," and sent it out. She knew Rick was laughing and would probably have the bakery make a special bear claw of just frosting if he could.

Smiling happily, she left her apartment and headed to work, and Rick.

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**Authors Note: This took much longer to write than I expected. I wrote the part up to Jim's arrival at the loft almost 3 weeks ago. I thought of making an excuse, like an asteroid hit my electric company and I couldn't use my computer, and someone robbed my house and took all my pens and paper. But I realized that no one would ever believe that a robber would take all my pens and paper (although I did make the asteroid story sound plausible). I was only able to write a few lines till yesterday when my writers block dam burst and I finished this, and wrote another story called "The Evaluation". However let me apologize now for how long it took, I do have parts of future chapters written, but not the whole chapters. I hope that my writers block does not come back. To paraphrase Richard Castle, it was the "worst block ever." At least for me. Finally a HUGE thank you to all who have marked this as a Favorite Story, left reviews and named me a Favorite Author. I know I am my wife's favorite author, but she tells me she is willing to share. **


	13. Chapter 13, The Anniversary

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 13, The Anniversary

By RGoodfellow64

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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Castle, ABC or Andrew Marlow and since the ratings are up, I doubt my lottery tickets can help me much either. This story is written out of love for the show and characters, not for any monetary gain.

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'Standing tall and straight, with an aura of supreme confidence, Richard Castle walked into the bullpen of the 12th Precinct Homicide Division and straight to the desk of Detective Beckett.'

He suddenly stopped short and said to himself, 'Hey that sounds really good. I'll change Rook for me and Nikki for Kate...' His eyes immediately went to her desk and saw that Kate was once again doing paperwork. He knew she had a lot to do, this last case took almost a week to solve, ruined everyone's weekend plans, and drove them all up the wall, but when Kate zeroed in on the landlord, it was all but over.

He was still awed at how she conducted interrogations; even after all this time she continued to amaze him with her determination and drive. He smiled to himself, 'Of course she wanted to close the case before tonight for our one month anniversary, I bet she's been wondering where I plan to take her.'

He patted his jacket pocket again and smiled before heading to her desk. Sitting in his chair he gave a hearty "Good morning detective. I have a present for you!"

Lifting her head she looked at him, raised one eyebrow then looked around him saying, "Where's the box?"

"No, no, not _that_ kind of present, this didn't cost me a thing." He paused a moment and added, "Except for my insurance premiums. Actually, now that I think about it, Tiffany's would be less expensive."

Kate smiled and looking at her watch saw it was 11:25am, "Where did you disappear to this morning Castle? I found my coffee and bear claw, but no you."

"I had to stop and pick up some paperwork at my doctors office."

"Doctors office?"

"Yes, remember I had my annual exam last week?"

Kate sat back in her chair and said, "Oh yes, now I remember. You were following that strict diet and exercise plan."

"Exactly."

"For about two and a half hours."

Assuming an injured pose he replied, "I was tired! And after strenuous exercise you need high energy food."

"Crème puffs Castle? And all you did was walk up the stairs instead of using the elevator."

"Crème puffs are high in carbohydrates and as anyone who is serious about proper nutrition knows, carbohydrates are needed for energy."

"Ahh, that explains the chocolate éclair after your burger and fries. I guess the fries weren't enough carbs for all the exercising you did?"

"I…um…don't you want to know what your present is?"

She tried hard and just managed to stop a smile from appearing. If he had a tail he would be wagging it, he looked so excited. 'Lanie was right,' she thought, 'he can be like a puppy sometimes.'

Leaning forward she asked, "So what's the occasion?"

"What's the occasion? My dear detective, this is a very important day!"

Kate was having a grand time. She knew what today was but just had to see how far she could take this before Rick figured out she did. "You finished your book? How can it fit in your pocket? Oh wait! It's on a thumb drive."

'No! No, the book isn't finished yet…"

"Why isn't it Castle? Don't you have a deadline in a few weeks?"

"Huh? No! I have months yet…I think. Let me check my calendar."

Kate smiled to herself; she managed to distract him once again. He was concentrating so hard on the 'present' he had for her that the slightest side comment threw him for a loop. She knew his book wasn't due for another few months and he was actually ahead of schedule.

Watching him as he concentrated on his phone and calendar, she could no longer hold back her smile. When did he start to be this adorable? He was biting his lower lip and… 'Wait a minute,' she thought, '_I_ usually bite my lower lip. Is he...he is! He's picking up my mannerisms!'

She got lost in thought and her eyebrows lowered as she did. 'If he's picking up mine, am I picking up his?'

Ryan was walking by her desk and looked at the two of them. He stopped for a second and looked again, and then once again. Beckett was looking off in space with her eyebrows lowered in thought, Castle was looking at his phone and his face was the same. They wore the exact same expression.

"Ahem." he said to get their attention.

Two sets of eyes looked up at Ryan as he said, "You know she's playing you dude."

"Huh?"

"Ryan!"

Those were said at the same time and they both looked back at each other as Ryan walked off. "I'm just sayin', she's playing you…and you two have no idea how cute you are when you do that!"

"Ryan!" Kate turned back to Castle and saw he was looking at her as he narrowed his eyes. She knew he wasn't upset as his lips were curled up slightly.

"What?"

His eyes narrowed more till they were all but slits, but she could see his laugh lines and there was a twinkle in his eyes. He wasn't angry, but he was thinking. 'Hmmm, this could be trouble.' she thought.

"Are you going to say something or just sit there and stare at me the rest of the day?"

He smiled and said, "Got me again, didn't you?"

He saw a soft smile appear, "Yep. Sometimes you are just so easy Castle."

She never really knew the power she had over him till they started dating. She never understood that once she gave in to her own feelings, once they started opening up to each other at a level she'd never experienced before, that she could actually know someone so well.

Two months ago she would have told anyone who asked that she pretty much knew all about Rick Castle. Now she is aware that she hardly knew him at all. In one short month she had become closer to him than to anyone in her life…even closer than she'd been with her Mom. He is always saying he surprises himself when he tells her something he never told anyone before. She still cherished his words that first weekend, 'I have never let anyone see who I am. I have never let anyone inside before. No one except you.'

But he got inside her very heart too. She never opened up to anyone before either and each step she takes with him initially frightens her, and then excites her. And the more it happens the less frightened she is…and the more overjoyed she becomes. The more comfortable she feels with him, the more the young Kate she buried along with her mother comes out.

She absolutely loves what he can do to her with just a glance, a touch, a suggestive smile or a whisper in her ear. Never before had she felt that fluttery feeling that he gives her. Never before had she ever known a closeness, a feeling of _right_ that she feels with Rick. His joke about dating her for three years was more true than she first thought. The events of this past month that they were together as a 'couple' pointed that out to her. Every wall she had put in place to keep him and others out was gone. Every one. She spent years painstakingly building her internal walls and slowly he eroded them till one month ago today he bared his heart to her. That weekend completed the demolition and she could honestly say to anyone who asked, that she has never been happier in her life. There was one more step to take, one more place for them to go and she planned for that to happen tonight.

She came back from her thoughts and noticed he was still staring at her, though his eyes were normal now.

"Care to share with the class, detective?"

"Just wondering what your surprise is Castle."

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a thick envelope.

"Ah ha!" He said, as if it explained everything.

"Ah ha, what?"

Acting more like a nine year old he held the envelope in his hand and waved it above his head. "This, detective, is the paperwork from my doctor. It includes all my test results."

As he said that Lanie walked by and grabbed it from his hands.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"No chance writer man. I better check this out, protect my girl and make sure you don't have anything contagious."

"Contagious? I don't have anything contagious. There is nothing wrong with me at all!"

Lanie opened the envelope and said, "Castle, every girl knows that boys have cooties, right Kate?"

Overhearing from his desk, Esposito said, "Cooties?"

Kate laughed and said, "Better believe it! I have to know you're cootie free Castle, if we're going to continue to see each other."

As Lanie took the papers out of the envelope she looked at Esposito and said, "Calm down, you're fine." Then added with a smile, "I checked thoroughly." This elicited an eye roll from Kate, and surprisingly, one from Rick.

Lanie said, "You two are so cute," then opened the papers and started to read the results.

"Hmm, cholesterol…why Castle, how can you have cholesterol numbers this good and eat the way you do?"

Kate asked, "They're good?"

"Honey, they're great! 140 total, LDL 77, HDL 55, and Triglycerides 112." Looking further into the results, "And you're not on any medication either! Way to go Castle!"

Rick sat with a smug smile on his face as Lanie continued to read his report.

"Blood pressure 116 over 77, and you're dating Kate?"

Castle smirked as Kate said, "Hey!"

"Just joking girlfriend, after what you two have been through this year, I am impressed. Kate, you work out in the gym at least three times a week, try to eat healthy and _he_ has better numbers than you."

"He does?"

Castle leaned back in his chair and said, "I always hoped you would find out on your own what a fine specimen of manhood I am…but I suppose being told by Lanie is almost as good."

Kate rolled her eyes while Lanie glared at him, but continued to read. "Castle, who the heck tests vitamin K levels?"

Leaning over to Kate he said in a stage whisper, "Told you Tiffany's would be cheaper."

This elicited another eye roll from Kate but two stares from Lanie and Esposito. Lanie read further and said, "Testo…oh my!"

Kate said, "What?" at the same time Rick did.

Lanie continued to read and simply shook her head then pointed her finger at Castle. "Castle, get over with Javi and sit there in that chair."

"But this is _my_ chair…" he started to say when she interrupted him, "I'm not taking your chair away, I just need you to go there now."

Castle slowly got up and sat in the chair next to Esposito. Lanie looked over and said, "Javi, you sit there and make sure Castle doesn't move. I don't want him to get up from that chair!"

"Uh, ok."

Castle asked, "What's this all about?"

Lanie ignored him and said, "Kate, you and I are going into the break room…now!"

Ryan piped up from his desk, "Break room?"

Lanie said, "Ryan, you stand right there at Javi's desk and make sure he keeps his eye on Castle."

"Huh? Why?"

"To make sure all three of you stay away from the break room!" She pulled Kate out of her chair and said, "Come on girl." They headed to the break room, Lanie with her arm wrapped around the shoulders of a very puzzled Kate.

After Lanie closed the door behind them Kate said, "Lanie! What the heck is going on? You're getting me worried!"

Lanie merely studied Kate and said, "You seem to have all your normal energy and you aren't looking at Castle with goo goo eyes, so I'm thinking that there is one place you two haven't gone yet…and this has something to do with it."

"Lanie?"

"Castle has the testosterone levels of a man less than half his age."

"Huh?"

"Listen carefully, Richard Castle has testosterone levels over the 1000 range."

"What does that mean?"

"It's been a few years since medical school, but I remember that most men by the time they reach thirty have already had their levels drop by fifteen percent or more. That is usual in over ninety percent of the male population. Castle fits in what I learned was the five percent range."

"Five percent?"

"Yeah, five percent."

"What does that mean?"

"Good news? He has less chance of a heart attack or high blood pressure than most men…bad news, and not really all that bad, is his reputation is probably well deserved."

"Reputation?"

"Uh, huh."

"Oh." Kate softly said. "um…oh."

"Yeah, oh. But I have to tell you girl, that man is in terrific shape, inside and out according to this report. Got nothing to worry about there."

Kate quietly took the paper and envelope from Lanie. "I think I'll take this. No need to let him know what it says."

Lanie smiled and said, "Yeah, his ego is big enough as it is."

They smiled at each other and walked out of the break room.

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About an hour later Kate and Rick were sitting alone in the break room eating take-out from Remy's and Rick asked, "Why won't you give me back my report? It is mine after all."

"Didn't you tell me what's yours is mine?"

"…yeah."

"Well then, thank you."

Rick leaned over and said, "I guess you can keep it. It probably shows you that as a man I rate beyond expectations." Then he wiggled his eyebrows at her like Groucho Marx.

"Beyond expectations?" Pulling her chair out a bit from the table, she turned it more in his direction, leaned towards him and caught his eyes with hers. Holding him there for a few seconds till she saw him start to turn into a marshmallow she said in a low voice, "I don't know…I have some pretty high expectations…Rick." She spoke his name as if it were two syllables, Ri…k, and she knew the reaction it would get.

She wasn't disappointed. He was just about to take a bite of his burger when she did that and he froze. He literally could not move a muscle, as he listened for that final k in his name.

Adding fuel to the fire she licked her lips and watched as his eyes became unfocused and aroused.

Sitting straight up again, she reached for her own food, keeping her eyes locked to his. "Mmmm, this is delicious."

Inside she shivered. She doubted he even heard her, his eyes were so wide and so dark. She has never had so much fun turning a guy on before, and she has never known herself to have such an affect on any man, ever. It was almost magical the way she can change him from an erudite and suave writer to a quivering mass of hormones. She loved it.

She no longer worried about the effect he had on her and she had on him. It just felt right, and she knew it was something far more powerful and important than anything she had ever experienced before. Looking at him gazing at her she felt she was the sexiest woman on the planet. No one ever had this affect on her and she savored every second of it.

Knowing she had to do something or she would jump over the table and kiss him senseless, Kate reached over and helped push his burger to his mouth. "Rick, make sure you chew carefully before you swallow."

Eyes wide, he did as she said.

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The precinct was quieting down, Ryan and Esposito had already left and Kate was finishing up the last of her paperwork.

Turning to Rick, Kate asked, "So what time are you going to pick me up?

"I'll be there at seven, and don't worry, we are not going to someplace fancy where people will stare at us. It's a nice, quiet place with soft music and great food. I know you like Italian, and this is about as authentic as you can get. Tony and Giovanna come from Tuscany and the food is to die for."

They smiled at each other as they stood up. As she reached for her purse Rick snapped his fingers.

"I almost forgot! Norman will be at your place day after tomorrow, is Wednesday ok with you?"

"Yes, but I can't take time off if we have a case."

That's ok, I told him you usually don't get home till after five and he said that was fine."

"I never heard of a locksmith that works after hours unless it's an emergency. I don't want to pay overtime to get my lock changed Rick."

"I told you not to worry about that…."

"And I told you that _I'm_ paying to change the lock on my door!"

"I don't mean that, what I mean is Norman has clients that require his services at all hours of the day or night, he has no set work schedule."

"Oh, well that's ok then." Kate thought for a second and then asked, "Getting a locksmith in less than two weeks in New York is pretty impressive."

"Actually I would have had him here earlier, but Bob wanted him to do some work on his private home."

Kate looked at him, eyes growing wide, "Bob? As in your friend the Mayor? That Bob?"

"Yeah, that's him. After I told him what a great job Norman did on the loft, he hired him. You know, I think I want to make arrangements for Norman to install better locks at the Hamptons house."

"Rick, you have more windows on that place than outer walls. I don't think you need to worry so much about the locks as you do rocks."

"Hey! You made a rhyme. I must be rubbing off on you."

They had reached the elevator and the doors opened. They entered and as soon as the doors closed, Kate grabbed Rick and gave him a kiss filled with all the love she felt for him. Then wrapping herself around him whispered in his ear, "So far you have rubbed me in all the right places."

She let him go as the elevator bell rang and the doors opened. As she walked to the car Rick was mesmerized and could not take his eyes off her. 'Were her hips moving just a bit more than usual?'

Just before the doors closed off his view, he saw Kate turn around, she smiled and said, "Ok Rick, see you at seven."

Rick was still staring at her when the doors closed.

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Kate opened the door of her apartment and put her purse down under the signed photo from Temptation Lane. She smiled as her hand reached for the light switch. Rick had tried to talk her into getting the Clapper. "_Just think Kate, you walk in the door, clap your hands and the lights come on, the TV turns on your favorite channel and maybe we can fix it so your microwave turns on and cooks your dinner!_" Only Rick could get excited by something like that.

She flipped the switch and started to walk to her bedroom when she stopped. 'This isn't mine,' she thought as she looked around. There was a new leather couch and chair, the TV was the same but a rich carpet was under a new coffee table. Looking around she walked into the kitchen and saw a new table and chairs and after turning on the lights, she saw an under cabinet TV. Attached to the new TV by a long strand of scotch tape was an envelope with her name on it. She saw it was his writing and opened it.

The card showed two hands holding on to one another, she opened it and saw a note taped to the inside, it read…

"Dear Kate. Happy one month anniversary! I remembered you didn't want to give up your dinky little TV, but I know you like to hear the news in the morning, so I got the under cabinet TV. It's wireless and hooked up to the cable box by your old one. I may have gone overboard getting you cable, but you get all the news channels as well as local now. As for the furniture, you mentioned how it was used and you would like new. And you said several times your old couch wasn't quite long enough to sleep on and this one will fit the bill. The chair is when you want to sit and read the books of your favorite author.

Love, Rick"

She put the card down and looked around her apartment again as tears started to fall. "Oh Rick," she said softly, "Damn. I really thought you were the one." She sat down on a new kitchen chair and wept.

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At seven sharp Rick Castle knocked on her door. He had taken extra time to make himself look good. This was for Kate, it was only one month but he knew that she was his forever, and he wanted to do everything for her. He smiled in anticipation as he knocked on her door thinking, 'How surprised was she when she got home?'

Kate opened the door and looked at Rick. He started to smile and stopped when he saw her face. Her eyes were red from crying and she was still dressed in her work clothes.

"Kate, what's the matter? Is anything wrong?"

She opened the door and softly said, "Come in Rick."

He walked in and saw the new furniture, just like he'd left it this morning. Then he looked at Kate, who walked over to the wall and leaned against it.

"This is where you were this morning, isn't it?"

He swallowed and said, "Yes. After I left my doctor I came here to meet the delivery men."

"Well at least you did go there, _that_ wasn't a lie."

"A lie? When did I lie?"

"When you led me to believe you spent the whole morning at your doctors."

"But Kate…"

"Rick, what did I tell you about buying me things? Especially things like these?" She waved her hand around the room.

"But you said you wanted…"

"No Rick. I never said I wanted or needed anything now. I can't even talk to you about something without you running out and trying to fix it or buy a new one, can I?"

"I only thought…"

"No you didn't Rick, and in this you're just as bad as Josh. He came into my apartment uninvited and left flowers, and you did the same with electronics and furniture. I want them out, right now if possible but no later than tomorrow! I want my old furniture back, I want the new TV and cable gone, and…and I want the spare key I gave you."

He couldn't move. "What? Why?"

"Because I don't feel I can trust you with it any more. I asked you not to do something and you did it anyway. Without my permission, you came into my home and knowingly went out of your way to do something I specifically asked you not to do."

"But I want to do things for you. I want to get you things. You deserve to have anything you desire …"

"What I want, and what I need Rick, is to know I can fully trust the man I love. I need to know that my wants, my needs and my desires are important to him, important to _you_ Rick. What you did here tells me that they are not important to you. You did this for you, not for me. And now I have to question if we're together just for you, for your instant gratification. And it makes me wonder if I made a mistake in calling you back that Friday."

He looked at her in shock. This isn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be accepting of his gifts. Every other woman he was ever with accepted gifts from him and loved them, but what he wanted to do for Kate was so much more. He wants to give her the world. How can "they" be a mistake?

"But Kate…"

"Rick, take this all away. I don't want any of it." Putting out her hand she added, "And I mean it, I want my key back as well."

Almost like living a bad dream, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. Finding the one for her apartment, he slowly took it off the ring. He couldn't do it any faster, his hands were starting to shake.

'No, this isn't happening' he thought to himself, 'How can everything that was so right suddenly be so wrong? How could things get so screwed up so fast?'

He looked in her eyes and saw nothing. Her stoic detective face was in place and he knew there was nothing more he could do now.

His hand still shaking, he put the key in her hand and watched as she closed her fingers over it and pulled it away from him. She then turned her head towards the furniture and said, "How soon can this be gone?"

"I'll have the delivery folks here tomorrow at 9am. Is that ok?"

She heard the rattle in his voice but held firm. What he did was wrong and showed he did not respect her wishes. "That will be fine. And Rick, I think it would be good if you didn't come to the precinct for a few days."

"Not…Kate?"

"I think we both need some time apart. _I_ need some time apart to think."

"Think?" Why couldn't he put more words together? He couldn't think, this was beyond his worst nightmare.

He didn't say a word and she could hear his ragged breathing. Looking at his face she understood what writers mean when they say 'a face looked ashen'. He looked like he had lost the most precious thing in his life.

Ready to break down and start crying again Kate said, "Goodnight Rick."

Taking a deep breath he turned and headed towards the door. Opening it he stood in the doorway and turned to look at her, his eyes glistening from unshed tears. "You deserve the world Kate," he said softly, then quietly closed the door behind him and left.

Closing her eyes for a second to try to regain some composure, Kate walked to the door and locked it, making sure the deadbolt was in place. She looked in her hand and saw the key. Suddenly it felt hot in her hands and she threw it across the room.

As it hit the wall and fell to the floor, so did she, and hugging herself, she cried.

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First thing in the morning she called in and let the Captain know she would be late. Right on the dot at 9am the delivery van was outside, just as Rick said, and soon they were taking out all the new things and bringing back her old furniture.

She overheard one of the men ask why they were taking away the good stuff and bringing back the "stuff for charity."

'Because it's mine,' she thought, 'and I told him not to buy me things…and he really didn't believe me or care about my feelings.'

As they walked out after putting the last of her furniture back exactly where it was, she closed the door behind them and thought, 'I was such a fool to think it was real.' She knew she was spiraling, she knew she was reaching for something dark and sad, but she couldn't help herself. Inside a part of her said 'no, it was and is real,' but now she only felt sad for herself, and somewhat guilty as well for over reacting.

She couldn't think about that now, it was almost 10am and she had to get to work.

On her way to the precinct she stopped and got herself a coffee, nothing to eat though, as she hadn't had an appetite since yesterday's lunch. Yesterday's lunch, when she naively thought forever with Rick was possible. She pushed that thought from her mind and for the first time in her career, hoped there would be a case for them to work.

As she walked to her desk, Ryan spotted her from the break room and said with a grin, "Morning Beckett, take care of your chores?"

She just replied with "Morning" as she walked by. Seeing Esposito at his desk she asked, "Anything new?"

"Nah, nothing." Pointing to her desk he added, "We're working cold cases to pass the time."

Kate sat down and looked at the old folders. 'Just great' she thought, 'more time to think.'

Ryan walked out of the break room and asked, "Where's Castle?"

"He's not coming in today."

Esposito walked over and said, "Oh ho! You come in late and he won't be in? Sounds like it was some date last night!"

Kate looked up at him and he saw pain in her eyes which instantly turned to anger as she said, "What I did or didn't do has no business here! Now get back to your files, both of you!"

She turned around and picked up a folder, opening it violently and started to look through it.

Esposito and Ryan walked back to their desks in silence, but before sitting down looked at each other in shock. Neither spoke but they both thought the same thing, 'What the hell happened?'

Kate meanwhile could not make sense of what she was reading. No matter how she tried she kept thinking of Rick and how he seemed to discount her wants over his. He wanted to buy her new furniture, she never asked him to. He wanted the fancy under cabinet TV, she never knew they existed. It made him feel good but it made her feel cheap.

She looked up at the clock, 10:35. 'It's only been five minutes but already it feels like hours,' she thought.

At 11:30 she was still staring at the same case file; she had yet to turn on her PC and was simply going over how things went out of control last night. Over and over again she felt sad, then angry, then guilty then back to sad, a vicious circle that seemingly would never have an end.

The Captain came out of his office and saw Kate at her desk. Puzzled he came over to her and asked, "Beckett, what are you still doing here?"

"Huh, excuse me? Shouldn't I be here?"

"Last week you said you were taking half a day off, did that change?"

"Half a day?...oh no! I forgot about Alexis! I'm supposed to pick her up at noon!"

He smiled and said, "Well then you better get a move on, traffic at midday is terrible." Shaking his head he continued on his way to the break room for a cup of coffee.

Kate opened the bottom drawer of her desk and grabbed her purse, then quickly turning to Esposito and Ryan said, "Hold down the fort, I'll see you tomorrow."

Ryan looked at Esposito and said, "Any idea what happened?"

"Nah. Not going to call Lanie either, least not yet."

Ryan nodded agreement and they went back to the cold case files.

Kate ran to the elevator and continued to press the down button till the door finally opened and she rushed in.

Making her way to the parking garage she pulled out her phone and called Alexis and got her voice mail. "Alexis, sorry I'm running late. I'm leaving the precinct now and will get there as soon as I can. I'll meet you at the front door as planned." Disconnecting the call, she got in her car and drove to the loft, all thoughts of last night pushed away.

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Running to her room Alexis saw she had voice mail. 'Dad was right, my phone was ringing,' she thought as she picked it up to see who called. She was surprised to see it was Kate and hurriedly pressed the keypad to hear it.

Listening, she was puzzled. Kate broke up with Dad yet was still coming over to keep their lunch and shopping date? That didn't make sense. She was confused by Kate's message and what her Dad told her last night when he came home early, and this morning he has shut up like a clam.

She pushed those thoughts aside and quickly got her things together. She was definitely going to be there when Kate arrived.

Downstairs she rushed to the door and called out to her father, "Bye Dad, I'll be home later!"

"Where are you going pumpkin?"

At the door she turned back and said, "Shopping! Bye!" then closed the door and hurried to the elevator. A few minutes later she said hello to Tyler the doorman/security guard, and went outside waiting for Kate.

She didn't have to wait long before Kate drove up and Alexis jumped into the front seat.

"Hey Lexi," Kate said with a smile, "where do you want to eat?"

"There's a new place called 'Rosemary and Thyme' I've heard about, I thought we'd go there. Food is good and they supposedly make great coffee."

"Great coffee? I can definitely handle that. Ok co-pilot, lead us there."

Alexis smiled and found the directions with her iPhone. She and Kate fell into an easy conversation about school and it seemed in no time at all they arrived at the café.

Alexis was happy that things seemed normal with Kate, the conversation wasn't strained and there did not seem to be anything wrong, yet her father came home last night bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders, and the pain in his eyes this morning was so sad to see. All he would say is that he and Kate had broken up.

They entered the café and found a table near the window, somewhat isolated by it's location from the others, since it was on a platform. There were small printed menus on the table, but the main menu was written on a chalkboard on the back wall. Looking it over they decided on what they wanted by the time the waitress arrived.

Alexis turned from the window back to Kate and said, "I really love sitting by the window and watching people passing by."

"So do I," Kate answered, "you wonder where they came from and where they're going; are they happy? Are they sad? There are so many possibilities."

While Kate was speaking Alexis watched her eyes. There was a slight redness to them that showed she'd been crying; and there was a sadness, almost a melancholy in them as Kate spoke.

After their coffees arrived Alexis asked softly, "Kate, what happened? I can see you've been crying, and Dad…well…he says you broke up last night."

"No. No sweetie, we didn't break up. I just need time to think."

"Think? I'm confused Kate, what's there to think about?"

Not wanting to dump her baggage on Alexis, Kate simply shook her head no and tried to steer the conversation in another direction, but Alexis would have none of it.

"Please Kate, you told me that I could always call you, you gave me that gift of yourself. Well, now I'm asking you, what happened?"

Kate closed her eyes for a moment and thought, 'Where did this amazing girl come from?' then sighed before opening them again to look at Alexis and just blurted it out, "Your dad hurt me yesterday. He hurt me very much."

"He hurt you? Kate, whatever he did I know he didn't mean to do that. He would never knowingly hurt someone he loves."

Kate closed her eyes again and Alexis saw the pain there. The smiling mask that Kate had worn earlier was gone now, and she saw as much pain in Kate as she saw in her father.

"I know he didn't mean to hurt me Alexis. But he did, and it's something that I need to seriously think about."

"Do you…do you still love him?" Alexis had a worried expression on her face that vanished when Kate answered.

"Yes. More than I thought I could ever love anyone."

"Then while you're thinking, just remember that he loves you too. Don't throw him away because of a mistake." She smiled and added, "I'm almost eighteen and I never found him to be un-trainable."

Kate laughed and was surprised when she did. "He never listens Alexis."

"He listens, when a conversation is serious, he listens."

Kate looked skeptical but Alexis said, "He always listens when you talk to him about me. I've known for a couple of years that some of his "fatherly advice" came after he talked to you."

Kate smiled at her and said, "I'll keep that in mind." Then she backed away from the table as their food arrived.

Taking a bite of her romaine salad with roasted walnuts, Kate watched as Alexis took a bite of her chicken Panini with rosemary and Swiss cheese. "How can you eat that and stay as slim as you are?"

Alexis smiled and said, "Metabolism. I'm a teenager and always active, even when I study, so I will probably burn this off in a few hours." Looking at Kate she said, "And what's your secret?"

Eyes sparkling, Kate gave a fake frown and said, "Exercise. Lots and lots of exercise."

Alexis laughed and they enjoyed their meals for a few minutes till Kate asked, "You never told me what you wanted to go shopping for."

"A dress, you know, for a prom, but something more modern, more adult."

"As soon as we finish we'll head over to whatever stores you want." Reaching over and putting her hand on Alexis' she added, "We'll find the perfect dress."

"Thank you so much Kate. I usually go shopping with Paige or some other friends, but this was too…personal. Gram has wild taste and Dad wants me to be eight the rest of my life, and my friends are a bit jealous right now."

"Jealous?"

Alexis took a sip of her coffee, putting down the cup she said; "For so long I was…" her hands fluttered in front of her upper body as she tried to think of a different word to use and finally just said softly, "flat."

Kate put her fork down saying, "And now things are…developing?"

Alexis blushed and said, "Yes, and now even though I'm with Ashley other boys are starting to talk to me and look at me, and Paige and the others are acting jealous…and it's not my fault! I mean, it's not like I'm asking them to hang around me. Don't they know I'm with Ashley and not interested?"

'Oh boy, how do you handle this one Kate, tell her it's because boys have cooties?' she thought to herself. Instead she said, "Alexis, this is one of those things that every girl has to go through. Right now, every boy in your school is a churning mass of hormones. With teenaged boys it's usually hormones on steroids."

Like a sponge, Alexis was soaking up every word. "Most boys will be content to look, well, actually stare, but there are always a few who think they're Gods gift to women, and will keep pestering you, hoping you'll finally give in and go out with them."

"Why? Ashley and I are happy together." She gave a dramatic shudder and said, "Most of those guys are pretty smarmy."

Kate smiled and said, "Good shudder, your grandmother would be proud."

Alexis laughed and Kate said, "Sweetie, they probably _are_ smarmy, they're looking at you from the waist up, and probably going no higher than your neck. They don't see your intelligence, your capacity for caring for others, they don't see your dedication to your family and yourself. They don't see how beautiful you are as an entire person, all they see is the physical and they don't really care about _you_."

She paused for a second and said, "Tell them your dad is dating a homicide detective, and if that doesn't keep them away, I'll be more than happy to pick you up after school a couple of times. I do scary cop really well."

Alexis laughed and thanked Kate. They finished their coffees and since the bill came with the meal, Kate left payment and tip on the table. As they headed out Alexis linked her arm with Kate's and said in a near perfect impression of her grandmother, "Come along dear, we have shopping to do!" They left the café with smiles for each other.

.

.

Wednesday morning Kate decided to buy herself a bear claw along with her coffee. It was still nice and warm and that's the way she likes them. Arriving at her desk she said good morning to her partners, sat down and opened the bag. She took a bite of the bear claw and looked at it. It's cold. 'Ugh, I really don't like them when they're cold', she thought, but finished it anyway along with her quickly cooling coffee. 'I wonder, how Rick manages to get them here warm,' she thought as she started on the cold case files again.

Ryan looked to Esposito and motioned to the break room with his head. As they both got up from their desks Esposito asked, "Hey Beckett, we're going to get coffee, want some?"

"No thanks, mine still has a little warmth left."

As they entered the break room Ryan said, "Look at her. Burying herself in her work."

"Yeah," Esposito said, "It's like last summer all over again."

"I don't know if I can handle that again bro, think Lanie can find anything out or should we go after Castle?"

Esposito replied, "I don't know. She was pretty uptight yesterday but seems a bit more like herself today. Let's see how the day goes before I sic Lanie on her."

As they started back to their desks Ryan snapped his fingers, "Hey, we forgot about the coffee!"

Esposito looked at him and said, "Not cool bro. So not cool. She'd figure out in a second what happened."

From the doorway they heard Beckett say, "She already figured it out. Castle is not coming in today." Turning to Esposito she added, "And if you call Lanie I can arrange a long list of dumpsters that need to be checked."

Esposito looked at Ryan who said, "Ok, but don't be mad, we care about you and just wanna make sure you're ok."

Kate smiled and said, "I appreciate that, but stop worrying. I'm a big girl and can handle things myself."

Esposito looked at the floor and grudgingly said, "Ok," and started out of the break room when Kate raised her hand and said, "Didn't you come for coffee?"

Esposito actually blushed and said, "Oh yeah, I forgot."

"Ryan?"

"Actually, Jenny started me on green tea in the morning. Still has caffeine but it's better for me."

As Kate smiled and started to walk away she heard Esposito say, "Green tea? Dude, I am _so_ embarrassed!"

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it!"

Kate headed back to her desk, looked at her phone and saw there were no messages or missed calls and opened the same file she started yesterday. A few minutes later when Esposito and Ryan came back to their desks, she was looking at Rick's empty chair.

Esposito looked at Ryan and whispered, "It's gonna be a long day bro."

.

.

At the end of the day Kate made sure to leave with enough time to pick up something to eat and be home in plenty of time for the locksmith. Rick told her that Norman would be there at 5pm so she didn't order anything big, just enough for a quick bite now and then to heat up for later.

At 5pm she was finishing an egg roll when there was a knock on her door. She looked out the spy hole and saw a tall black man who was looking back at her and smiling.

"Hi, I'm Norman, Norman Jessup. Mr. Castle sent me."

She unlocked the dead bolt, chain and other locks on the door and opened it. "Hello there Detective! It's nice to see you again." Norman said with a smile.

Kate looked at him and thought 'he looks familiar, where do I know him from?'

Still smiling he said, "You probably don't remember me, but I helped you and Mr. Castle with a case, lets see, almost two years ago come November. You signed a recommendation for me to go to locksmith school."

Kate smiled, "Oh yes, now I remember. You were in jail and wanted to be a locksmith for a profession."

"That's right!" Norman said with an even bigger smile. "After I graduated from locksmith school, Mr. Castle arranged for me to get a job."

"He did?"

"Yes he did, and now business is so good, I own part of the company!"

"Really! That's wonderful. Turning your life around from being a felon to becoming part owner of a business in a little over year…that is very impressive."

"I have to thank Mr. Castle for that. Not only does he say everyone deserves a second chance, he puts his money where his mouth is."

"Um, he does?"

"Oh yeah. Even with your recommendation, I had a hard time getting interviews, but Mr. Castle signed a note promising to pay for anything if I broke the law. That's how he helped me get this job."

Kate could only stare at Norman. Rick did that?

"Now look at me; two years ago I was a felon and today I have a good job, working to own the whole business, and getting married in three months, all because you and Mr. Castle gave me a second chance."

"Wow, Norman, that is pretty impressive. I am very happy that it all worked out for you."

"Thanks, I'm kinda proud of that myself." Looking at her door he said, "So these are the locks you want replaced?"

"Yes."

He looked over the locks and said, "It's a good thing you called to have them changed."

"How come?"

"These things are antiques! I could probably scare them into opening for me by yelling at them."

He smiled and said, "Don't worry about a thing. When I'm finished you'll need a bazooka to break in here."

Kate smiled and said, "Thank you Norman." Something was puzzling her though, and it took a few minutes to figure out what it was. When she did she asked, "Norman, how did you get up here without me buzzing you in?"

Putting a new lock and handle on her door he said, "Oh that? That was easy. Those locks down there are antiques too. Easy to get in without bothering you."

"Um, Norman? You picked the lock?"

"Yeah, nothing to it. You really oughta have those locks changed too."

"Norman! You're a law abiding citizen now! You really shouldn't be picking locks. It's against the law."

"Well I figured you're a police detective, so it wasn't a big deal and you wouldn't mind. Mr. Castle asked me to be here at 5pm and said to give you the very best I have, and that's what I planned to do."

Kate shook her head and thought to herself, 'Martha called them Rick's strays; looks like he has more than anyone knows.'

A while later Norman stood away from the door and said, "There you are, all done."

"That's it?"

"Oh yeah. Let me tell you, the locks I put on here, even _I_ would have a hard time trying to pick."

"Thank you. How much do I owe you?"

Norman looked at his watch, "I was here almost an hour. I have to go to the shop with the calculator and worksheet to figure it out. How about I bill you?"

"You will bill me, won't you? I mean, Rick isn't paying for this, is he?"

"Oh no. He told me you had to get the bill or you would throw us both in jail."

Kate smiled and said, "Well, maybe not you, but definitely him."

Norman laughed and started to put away his tools, getting ready to leave. When he was finished cleaning up after himself he said, "You know, Mr. Castle is a real nice guy. Still can't break out of handcuffs, but a real nice guy. You're real nice too detective."

"Thank you Norman. I appreciate that very much. And I am very happy to see you doing so well."

Norman smiled saying, "Thanks." Looking at his watch he said, "Uh oh, gotta go. Captain Perkins at the 17th Precinct wants new locks on his daughter's apartment."

He handed Kate her new keys and headed for the elevator. "Nice to see you again detective Beckett."

"Good night Norman, and thank you." Kate said as she closed the door. She first closed the lock at the door knob and it clicked with a solid sound. When she locked the deadbolt it sounded like a huge safe in a bank, locking with a finality that would never be compromised.

'Let's see anyone even try to get in that!' she thought to herself, and went back inside to heat up the rest of her dinner; all the while thinking of Norman Jessup, Rick, herself, and second chances.

.

.

Thursday morning Kate arrived at the precinct without a coffee or bear claw. She decided she didn't want a cold pastry and she could get a hot coffee at work. As she arrived at her desk she saw a large coffee and a bag sitting on it, and Rick sitting in his chair.

She stopped for a moment, to compose herself. 'What's he doing here? I told him to stay away, I need time to think.' Seeing Ryan and Esposito watching her, she continued walking to her desk. Rick was sipping his cup of coffee and she saw Ryan and Esposito watching her for any tell tale signs of something wrong. Unsure what to do she simply said, "Morning Castle," before quickly sitting down.

She had no idea what to expect but was gratified when Rick simply said, "Good morning Detective, sorry I couldn't be here earlier."

She looked at him and saw no sign of sarcasm and nodded her head while saying, "Not a problem Castle."

She picked up her coffee and took a sip. It was piping hot, just as she liked it. She then opened the bag and pulled out the bear claw, and it was still warm.

'I'd like to know how he does that,' she thought as she gave him a quick glance.

Rick simply smiled and said, "You're welcome." Calling over to Ryan and Esposito he said, "Hey guys, did you miss me?"

"Not a chance Castle!" Esposito said.

"We have been soooo busy we didn't even know you were gone," Ryan added.

Then Esposito blurted out, "Where the heck were you bro?"

Kate gave Rick a quick glance but said nothing as he smiled and said, "Guy's, you do know I have a day job, right? Every now and then I have things I need to do for the books."

They nodded their heads while Kate let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Rick added with a big smile, "But you know I'll always come back. You can't get rid of me!"

Ryan and Esposito laughed while Kate gave him a quick glance. 'Yep, that was aimed at me,' she thought as she caught his eyes. A minute later she realized she was still staring into his eyes and pulled hers away.

Figuratively shaking herself she said, "Just cold files again Castle, you don't really need to stay."

Rick smiled and replied, "But detective, if I left who'd be here to make you feel creepy while you're working?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her as he spoke.

Just like that the bantering was back. "Well maybe if you actually did something Castle, it wouldn't be so creepy."

"Sorry, no can do. Not part of the job description."

"Job description? Castle, if you recall, I'm the one with the job here, not you."

"Exactly! Ergo, any description of my duties is my own, I wrote them up and so…no can do."

"Wait a minute, you actually wrote down your non-job duties here?"

"Of course. There wasn't much to write down though, my major responsibility is to keep you from getting stressed out."

"Castle, _you_ stress me out!"

"See? As long as you don't stress yourself out, I'm fully meeting the job requirement!"

As he smiled at her and she glared at him, Ryan turned to Esposito and quietly said, "Nice to have Mom and Dad back."

Esposito smiled back and said, "You got that right." Then they both started working on their files.

About an hour later Kate got up to get another cup of coffee and Rick followed her. No one else was in the break room so he walked up to her and waited till he had her attention.

Kate knew it was a bad idea to get a coffee the second she saw Rick get out of his chair. Standing at the Espresso machine, she could feel him enter the room before she actually heard him. He was standing so close to her, she forced herself to keep calm and turned to face him.

Looking at him she saw he was not angry, he didn't look the least bit upset, what she did see was determination…not grim determination, but calm, assured determination. A man totally confident in himself. She decided to take the initiative.

"What do you want Rick?"

Rick smiled and said simply, "You."

Kate's eyes widened and she stuttered, "Wha…What?"

"Katherine Beckett, there is no one in the world I need or want more than you. I am not giving up on us. I refuse to let it go…I refuse to let _you_ go."

His eyes bored into hers. He continued to hold them and did not let them go. And she saw _him_ in those blue eyes, she saw his wants, his desires, and mostly his unconditional love. His heart was in his eyes and once again he was handing it to her.

She started to say something but he continued, "We aren't going to talk here, but believe me Kate, we _are_ going to talk. I love you too much to give up and walk away. I will not give up on you…_ever_."

He continued to hold her in place with his eyes. Hers were wide but not in fear. He had caught her unaware, unprepared for the raw honesty and determination he was showing her. This was a part of Richard Castle she never really saw before, he was always a clown, joking around, finding ways to pull her pigtails; always trying to lighten her load even at the expense of himself. But here he was confident, completely secure in himself and prepared to win over the very best she could give.

He backed away from her, looked at his watch and said, "Look at the time! I have to leave." His blue eyes holding hers fast again he added, "But I _will_ see you tonight Kate. I love you."

He turned around and walked out of the break room and she heard him speaking to Ryan and Esposito before he headed towards the elevator. As the elevator doors closed he was staring right at her, holding her eyes with his. Once the doors finally closed, she leaned back against the counter; suddenly she was exhausted. She felt as if she'd spent the last hour in strenuous exercise, her legs could hardly hold her up. She took a few minutes to gather herself together and then quietly walked to her desk.

'He's not going to give up on us,' she thought. She heard his voice again, "We _are_ going to talk."

She closed her eyes for a moment and realized that even though there were less than seven hours before quitting time, they were going to feel like forever.

.

.

The elevator doors opened and she stepped out into the hallway to her apartment and there he was, leaning against the wall by her door. On the floor by Rick's feet was an insulated container and next to it was a bottle of wine.

He looked up at the sound of the elevator and his eyes instantly met hers. He was smiling and she had to force herself not to smile back. She was angry with him for playing her like he did this morning, wasn't she? And there was still the residue from Monday night, she was still upset by that, right?

Try as she might, those emotions did not appear, instead she simply felt happy. Till he showed up this morning she had no idea just how much she missed him. Yet the man leaning by her door was not the same man she had been seeing all month. This was another layer of the "Castle Onion" and she found she liked this 'take charge' Rick.

But why did it seem so familiar? Running scenes in her mind two suddenly appeared in stunning clarity, Coonan, $100,000, and Dunn, staying at his place after the explosion. There was no compromising with him then, his "You can and you will" pretty much said it all.

She had been standing outside her elevator looking at him and thinking for almost a minute, but his expression never changed. His posture never changed. He continued to smile and the look in his eyes spoke volumes of how much he cared.

'Oh boy,' she thought and sighed before she continued walking to her apartment, unconsciously feeling for the new key in her pocket. When she arrived at the door with the key in her hand he spoke.

"You look tired Kate, I brought supper."

She looked up at him and debated what to say and finally settled on "Hmmm."

"Nice looking locks you have there. I couldn't help but notice."

She gave him another quick glance but tried and succeeded to keep her eyes away from his. "…thanks?"

"If you don't mind my asking, how much did they set you back?" He added with a grin.

She looked up and said, "I haven't gotten a bill…I will be paying for them myself Rick."

He nodded his head as the door opened and he bent down to pick up the food and wine, "Yep, if he said you'll get a bill, you can bet you will. Norman seems a bit flighty sometimes, but when it comes to business, he is sharp as a tack."

Kate walked into her apartment with Rick following her. She put her purse down as usual under Temptation Lane, and he headed for the kitchen. She turned and watched as he started to set everything up for dinner. First out were the plates, then silverware, then wine glasses and finally the napkins.

She stood mesmerized as he was setting up the table for dinner. 'He's only been here perhaps a dozen times and he knows where everything is,' she thought as within minutes he was pulling the food containers out of the bag and had opened the wine.

She had to look twice at the table, 'He even knew where my bread basket was, I've been looking for that for weeks.'

Watching him move around her kitchen she suddenly realized that she felt comfortable with him being here, she didn't mind the fact that he knows where everything is, it's actually sweet. At the same time, it made her feel sad knowing that they would probably end up having a fight. Why didn't he just listen to her?

"I need to freshen up a bit, I'll be right back." Kate said and walked into the bedroom. Taking off her gun and badge, she decided to leave on her mother's ring and father's watch. She felt she may need their support tonight.

Walking into the bathroom she turned on the faucet and splashed some water across her face before checking herself in the mirror. After a moment she thought, 'Why am I checking myself out? He's the one who invited himself here tonight, not me.'

She walked back into the bedroom and decided she might as well be comfortable, and taking the time to change may help her get ready for the argument she knew was coming. She took off her power heels, and changed into sweatpants and a tee shirt and walked out barefoot to face Rick.

He was sitting at the table with wine already poured. As she walked out of the bedroom she wanted to look anywhere except at him, so her eyes roamed her apartment till they rested on her jar of Hugs. Every time he came over he made a point of putting the jar near them so they could reach into it and pull out a few of the small slips of paper containing their special 'named' hugs. The jar held so much meaning for her, as she recounted enjoying each and every moment holding each other, playing out whatever named hug was drawn from the jar. Tonight it was still sitting in its usual place and she felt her chest tighten when she realized that.

Taking a deep breath, and wanting to control the conversation, she walked to the table, sat down across from him and asked, "What did you bring for dinner?"

"I stopped at ToGi and Giovanna made us lasagna. They make their own pasta and sauces and breads, so everything is as fresh as it can be."

"Togi? What's togi?"

"Capital Tee, small oh, capital Gee, small eye. The first initials of Tony and Giovanna, the couple I know from Tuscany."

She lowered her eyes to her plate and softly said, "Oh."

He picked up his wine glass and held it in front of him, catching her eyes and not letting go he made a toast, "To Understanding."

She blinked her eyes and broke contact, but picked up her glass, clinked it to his and took a sip. 'To understanding? Not, To us, or To true love or something like that? Where is he going with this?' she thought as she took another sip.

Outwardly calm she said, "Nice wine."

Rick smiled and said, "Giovanna gave me this to go with her lasagna. I wanted a different Tuscan wine, but she said a Chianti Classico will be best with it."

He handed her the dish with the lasagna and told her that the bread came out of the oven only an hour before, and offered some to her when she took her portion of lasagna.

They ate, for the most part, in silence, although Rick did draw Kate out with conversation about Alexis and how she went shopping for a new dress but wouldn't let him see it.

'He has no idea that I was the one with her when she picked it out,' Kate thought as Rick grumbled about his little girl growing up. This always brought a smile to her face and she didn't even know it was there while he was talking.

But Rick saw it, and knew that to keep it there the initial conversation needed to be bland, as harmless as possible, so he continued to keep the tone light.

When they finished their meal Rick stood up and brought the plates to the sink, he put away the extra food in some plastic containers he brought and placed them in her refrigerator.

Trying to regain her footing here Kate asked sarcastically, "What, no dessert Castle?"

"No. I thought we'd simply have some coffee and move to the living room. I just want to clean up the dishes." He paused a second before saying, "I'll wash, do you want to dry?"

Without realizing what she was doing Kate nodded and soon was standing beside Rick while he washed the dishes. He seemed to have a funny story about each one and sometimes used different voices before handing them to her to dry and put away.

Kate was confused. There was no talk about Monday night, there was no talk about staying away from the precinct, nothing like he suggested this morning, and yet he was here and they were doing things that were…domestic, and she hated to admit, a lot of fun. There was a part of her that longed for what was happening now, relished the feeling of intimacy that it brought, the coupleness, if that was a word, that made her feel loved.

He had started the coffee before washing the dishes and by the time they were done, so was the coffee. Without hesitation, he took out two mugs from the correct cabinet and made coffee for both of them.

Handing a mug to her he suggested they move on to the living room. Without objection Kate turned and headed toward her couch and sat down on one end, Rick sat down on the other and they quietly sipped their coffee.

Kate was not surprised to find it was just the way she liked it. Typical Castle, but even more typical Rick, trying to get in under her radar. But she was prepared. She knew the argument, no, make that fight, was going to happen, and she steeled herself for it.

But nothing was happening! He simply sipped his coffee and occasionally looked at her and smiled. She knew his tell tale signs, he was not nervous, he was not upset, and he was not cocky. He simply sat there sipping his coffee, supremely confident in himself. No she quickly corrected, not just in himself, in _us_!

Unable to hold back any longer Kate finally spoke, "Ok Rick. You said we were going to talk, so talk."

Rick smiled, he knew she would be the first to speak; he could sit here forever and simply look at her. He took another sip of coffee and said, "You know Kate, I've come to the conclusion that no matter how great we are together, when it comes to communicating with each other, we really suck."

She stared at him a moment then said, "What?"

"Think about it Kate. All this time together, caring so much for the other person and being afraid to say anything for fear of rejection. I mean, think of last summer and all the pain we each felt because we didn't know how to talk to each other."

Kate didn't know what to say. She was prepared for him to start arguing with her, telling her she was in the wrong, trying to force his point of view. She was prepared for yelling, harsh words, even breaking up, but she was not prepared for honest.

As she stared at him he continued, "Since I sold my first book, the only way I have known how to show affection, how to show someone I care, is to buy them things. Yes I have money, actually quite a lot of money, but that doesn't mean when I give gifts that I'm not being honest about what I'm trying to say; it doesn't mean that I am simply trying to buy a person or their feelings."

He paused for a moment and put his cup down on the coffee table, turning his body towards her he said, "I told you that I haven't done real in a long time, the only way I know how to show you I love you is to give you things. It's not that money doesn't mean anything to me, I told you before having money is only a means to an end, but it isn't _nothing_, so my buying you things is not as if I call my secretary and ask her to get you something for your birthday. I really try to think of what you may want or need."

Unable to think of a reply Kate fell back on, "You don't have a secretary Rick."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and said, "There's an opening if you decide being a homicide detective is too boring."

She smiled at that but then sobered and said, "When I walked in here and saw all that you'd done it was like you punched me in the gut. The air just came out of me and I felt so hurt."

"I never meant to hurt you Kate, I only wanted to help, and do something nice for our anniversary. You've been talking for months how you want to replace this used furniture you had to quickly buy after your apartment blew up. You complained it was uncomfortable, creaky and…"

Attempting to take control of the conversation she blurted out, "I am not another bimbette or celebutant Rick, I have my own job and a damn good reputation. I don't want to be viewed as another Rick Castle conquest of the week."

"My God Kate, when have I ever made you feel that's how I think of you? You know me better than that. That's old fear talking, and I refuse to let it jeopardize what we have."

"…Rick,"

He moved closer to her on the couch, "Listen to me carefully Kate, I mean every word I say." His thoughts were racing now as he argued with himself whether to tell her now or wait for another time that he fully intends to marry her, have children with her and die as an old man with their children, grand children and great grandchildren all around. He decided to wait as he looked into her eyes and said the same thing, only softer, "I see us in our golden years together, I see us together forever, in the most fulfilling relationship that we can imagine. I don't want to just grow old with you Kate, I want us to grow together."

His eyes became soft and her heart felt like melting when he said, "I want your face to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see at night for the rest of my life. And you can damn well be sure I will be holding your hand and having eye sex with you…since it's probably the only sex I'll be able to have when I'm that old."

Kate felt tears welling up in her eyes. 'How can he do this to me? Duh! World famous author!'

"Rick, I don't want to give up what we have, but what you did hurt me, and I know what I did hurt you. We can't keep on hurting each other like this."

"Kate, you know that when we get married, and believe me, we _will_ get married, all that I have will really be yours. You're going to have to get used to being able get anything you want, having credit cards without a limit, that sort of thing."

Kate said, "But Rick…"

"No Kate, I'm serious. These are either perks or disadvantages of being married to me." He smiled and added, "Personally I like to think of them as perks."

Kate sighed, "I guess I have to get used to having a boyfriend that can satisfy my every whim…but Rick, I don't expect you to. If I say I'd like to sail somewhere that is not my telling you to buy me a yacht."

She smiled and continued, "I don't want to worry that if I mention I like a certain French cheese, that you'll grab a plane and fly over to get it for me, even though you can."

She moved closer to him and put her hand on his arm, "Rick, you are not my personal genie, I don't expect or want you to buy me things. If I complain about my furniture I'm not sending you a message to refurnish my apartment."

"But Kate, I _want_ to buy you things. I want to give you all the things you've never had, all the things you've ever wanted. I love you and I _want_ to give you the world. Giving you things, that's just showing you how much I care."

She was now tightly close to him and put her hand out to stroke his cheek, "Rick, you show me how much you care every day. You show how much you love me in little ways that make my heart melt. The smile when you deliver my coffee, the bear claw that I have no idea how you keep warm. The tenderness of your kiss and the passion in your touch. How you always put the right amount of ketchup on my plate and never on my fries. How you learned just the way I like my coffee when I never told you. And how you have always been there for me, even when I push you away.

But mostly, every day you tell me how much you love me when you look at me; the softness in your eyes…more than anything else, it's the way your eyes get soft and full of love when you look at me, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. You don't have to give me the world Rick, you _are_ my world; you're everything I want, and you're everything I need. Don't give me _stuff_, I only want you, Richard Alexander Rogers or Richard Edgar Castle, it's the man I want."

"Wow" he said softly. "No one has ever said anything like that to me before. No one has ever loved me so intensely, so powerfully, so completely. I can only say that I am a better man, a better father and a better son because of you."

He leaned towards her and put his forehead on hers, "So I guess we need some ground rules," he said, then added, "but you know I'm never good with rules."

Pulling her head back she looked in his eyes, "Yeah Rick, we need some rules, but for you _and_ me. Let's see if we can make this simple; heaven knows we make everything else complicated."

"I have to tell you Kate, it's not going to be easy for me to change, I've always bought gifts to show my feelings."

"I know. I need to learn to handle it better than I did. So how about this, if you really get the urge to buy me something, ask me first…"

He interrupted saying, "But if I want to get you a surprise…"

She put up her hand to stop him and said, "Only if you feel you can, otherwise you need to know I am not rejecting you if I say to take it back, which I may probably do most of the time."

"Ok, I'll try to talk to you about it first, but if I somehow go over the top…"

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled, "Somehow?"

Adopting an injured pose he said, "As I was saying, if I somehow go over the top, you can pull me back and I won't feel that you don't care."

"Right."

"But Kate, when I ask if you'd like something, you can't always say no."

"Ok. I'll try. We'll both try."

She gave a slight smile and said, "As long as we can talk about it Rick. That's probably going to be the hardest thing for me, at least initially, but I am really going to try."

She looked in his eyes and said, "I want this to work Rick. I want _us_ to work, I really, really do."

"Then we will. You are the most determined woman I have ever met, and despite my previous reputation, I am just as determined. I've been thinking about this a lot the past couple of days and I'm saying these words straight from my heart now, so bear with me."

He paused to take a breath and continued, "I always gave gifts to show my feelings, and you always did things for people, sort of an act of service. I think we should concentrate instead on saying, in word and action, how much we love each other."

Putting his hand on her cheek he continued, "Isn't it sort of a personal language of love, a love language, that we all have? Here I am thinking I'm showing you the best way I can how much I care by giving you stuff, when that isn't your love language at all. Isn't that what happened? Maybe you prefer intimate conversation, exploring each other's emotional needs, or maybe just holding hands or sitting close watching a movie."

He shook his head, "Who'd think that two people trying to show how much they love each other are missing the mark cause they're speaking different languages?" He paused and said, "I have to remember this for one of my book…"

Kate became animated at the thought of what Rick had just uncovered so she interrupted him. She put her hand on his, holding it to her face. "I think you're definitely on to something. My favorite love language is just spending time together. That's giving of ourselves, to create quality time to grow together. I _love_ that; Rick, remember when I said I want someone to just jump into it with?"

He nodded his head yes.

"I love knowing that wherever I jump, you'll be right there beside me, holding my hand and never letting go."

She held his eyes with hers and said softly, "That's what I love most about you Rick, you never give up on me; you never gave up on us, even before I ever knew 'us' was possible."

He sighed. "We can do this Kate. As a team we've shown that we can work as hard as needed to close a case. Let's put some of that effort into each other, into us. We can figure this out together."

She moved her head till her mouth touched his hand and she kissed it, all the while looking in his eyes and seeing the promise of forever there.

"You have a deal Rick, but I warn you, on our 50th anniversary don't even _think_ of pushing the cake in my face!"

He laughed and gave her a hug. Pulling away from her he stood up and walked around the room with his arms stretched wide. "I feel like I could fly!" he said. Suddenly he grinned, turned and teasingly said, "Hey! We had our first real fight as a couple, does this mean we get to have 'make up' sex?"

Kate slowly walked over to him, her eyes never leaving his. When she was right in front of him she lifted her arms, put them around his neck, pulled his face to hers and kissed him. Kissed him deeply and passionately.

When she finally pulled her lips away from his she whispered in his ear, "What do you want for breakfast?"

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**AUTHORS NOTE: I apologize for the length, but when I started this chapter I only knew three things, one, there was going to be an argument; two I wanted to bring back Norman Jessup, the greatest guest character **_**ever**_** on Castle; and three, I knew what I wanted the last line to be. I just had to figure out how to get there and it seems to have taken a long and round about journey. I hope I didn't bore you or lose you on the way. Other than chapter one, I stressed over this one the most. Also, once again thank you for the wonderful comments; they really do make me want to do this story up right, and there are so many of you from other countries! Is that cool or what? Last, but certainly not least, a big thank you to two special people… to my brother Jerry, who constantly reminds me about proper use of quotation marks ;-), and to my bride, for allowing me to act out some scenes, and not laughing out loud when I suddenly say "oh, oh" and run to my pc to write. I "heart" you very, very much. **


	14. Chapter 14, The Reading

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 14, the Reading

by RGoodfellow64

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DISCLAIMER: As before, I do not own Castle or any of the characters.

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Sipping her iced tea, Kate looked across the table at Lanie and smiled remembering how yesterday started.

Lanie looked up from the plate of French fries and said, "What are you thinking about?"

"The look on your face when I walked into your office yesterday."

"You know how long I waited to look like that? Of course you do, I've only been telling you to grab that man since day one."

_It was bright and early Monday morning. Lanie was sitting at her desk after finalizing the paperwork on a case Karpowski's team had caught over the weekend; she had been there since the day before and was pretty tired when Kate walked out of the elevator with a coffee in one hand and a pastry bag in the other._

_Arriving at the office door Kate asked, "Ok Lanie, I'm here with your bear claw, what did you want to talk to me about before I start work?"_

_As she walked into the office Lanie looked up and said, "Hey Kate, I'll be right with you, I…"_

_She stopped in mid sentence and stared at Kate, who looked around and behind her then said, "What?"_

_Lanie looked for a few seconds more and a huge smile came on her face, "Oh my God, you're glowing!"_

"_Lanie?"_

"_I mean it! I could turn the lights off in this place and still see everything!"_

"_Lanie, calm down."_

"_Calm down? Calm down? Girl I want details!"_

"_Lanie, I need to get back to my desk. I thought you called me here for something important."_

"_Oh no, don't think you can trick me into thinking about something else like you do with Castle. I know what I know and I want to know more!"_

"_Lanie!"_

"_Ok, today's Monday, you were off Friday…Thursday night!"_

"_What?"_

"_It happened Thursday night." _

"_What happened Thursday night?"_

"_You and Castle, that's what happened! I just wish it happened before the bets were canceled."_

"_Lanie, I'm going back to my desk, when you remember what you wanted to talk to me about come on up."_

"_Katherine Beckett don't you…" Lanie's phone rang and without looking at it she hit the speaker button and said "What?"_

_Karpowski's voice said, "Lanie, are you alright?"_

"_Huh? Oh yeah, sorry, I have your results here."_

_Looking up she saw Kate walking away and yelled, "Don't think I'm letting this go girl, I'm not through with you!"_

_Kate merely waved her hand behind her as she headed towards the elevator. As the doors opened, she smiled, thinking that she ought to do something nice for Karpowski for calling Lanie when she did. _

_Suddenly her face lit up with a wicked smile as she thought of a terrible way to tease Lanie. She put her hand on the elevator door to stop it from closing and called out, "Oh, by the way Lanie…?" Lanie looked up from her desk and Kate said, "You were right about the testosterone!" She removed her hand and let the doors close on the open mouthed and totally shocked Medical Examiner. _

Smiling at the memory Kate said, "Still, it didn't take you long to get yourself upstairs and pull me from my desk."

"Kate, you were sitting there, looking into space, with such a happy look on your face that the fire alarm could have gone off without you noticing."

Picking up another French fry from the plate in front of her Lanie added, "It is _so_ obvious to anyone who knows you when you're thinking about Castle."

Kate's mind went back to Thursday night, the surprise in his eyes when she asked what he wanted for breakfast, and how quickly that turned to desire. Kate smiled as she relived those moments.

"See? It just happened again!"

A small smile played across her face as Kate said, "Worth remembering," before taking another sip of iced tea.

"Mmm hmm. You were walking on air last Monday, quiet and moody Tuesday and Wednesday with Castle a no show. Javi said they had to walk on eggshells around you."

Lanie paused and a frown appeared on her face. "I thought you were upset with him, the way you acted and him not coming in for a couple of days."

"I was, but we worked it out."

"One look at you and I can tell _that_! Honey, I have never seen you like this. Not with Will and definitely not with motorcycle boy."

"Motorcycle boy? That's what you called him?"

"That's what everyone called him."

"Everyone called him motorcycle boy? I thought that was just Castle!"

Lanie shrugged her shoulders, "What can I say? Your man has a way with words and the name stuck…didn't hurt that the name fit him perfectly."

Castle popped his head in the break room and then entered to sit next to the two women. "Still no new cases?"

"Nope, nothing. Almost two weeks and Karpowski's team had the only call."

He was about to reply when his phone rang. Kate knew from the distinctive ring who it was just as he said, "This is from Paula, I'd better answer it."

He got up from his chair, moved across the room and answered the phone, while Lanie and Kate watched from their table listening in to his side of the conversation.

"Hi Paula. Uh huh. Yeah, I'll be there. No. No. Paula, I said no, she will not be there."

At this Lanie looked from Castle to Kate and asked, "What?"

Kate replied, "Book reading, slash, signing; she thinks it would be great if Nikki Heat showed up and signed some books too."

As Rick was finishing the call Lanie said, "Are you sure you want to let him go by himself?"

"Yes, Lanie, I mean, it's not like he has to be kept on a leash or anything."

"Still, all sorts of women come out after him, and you two haven't been seen that often on Page 6 to let them know he's off the market."

"I still remember reading his fan mail on that first case, some of it was really creepy…or maybe it was just that he kept staring at me."

"Yeah, we all noticed he stared at you…a lot! Still does actually."

Rick had finished his call and walked back to the table, but stopped short of sitting as the two women spoke about him. "Excuse me! Hello! I am still here and hearing everything!"

"Did you hear something?"

"Must be the wind. So Kate, what do you plan to do tonight?"

"Wind? Kate? Lanie? Hello?"

"I'm thinking of taking a nice long, hot bath, and reading the new Patterson book. It's coming out next week and I got an advance copy."

"How did you manage that?"

"Patterson! You're reading Patterson?"

Kate smiled, "When he learned Rick and I were together and found out I enjoyed his books, he made sure his publisher sent me an advanced copy…he even autographed it for me."

"Ok, enough is enough! He autographed it for you? That's it; he's out of the poker game!"

"Was that the wind again?"

"Kaaaaate!"

"Shhh! Rick, we're trying to have a conversation here."

"Patterson? Kate! Really?"

"And don't forget he autographed it for her."

"That's right! What did he say?"

Kate smiled, "It was really nice, and kind of sweet."

"Sweet? I'm supposed to be the sweet one in your life, not my competition!"

"So you don't mind all these women coming on to him?"

"Esposito and Ryan already talked to him Lanie…and besides, I have my own ways of keeping him in line."

"I'm going back out to sit with Ryan and Esposito. At least they still like me!" Rick reached his hand out to pick up the order of fries.

Watching him, Lanie slapped his hand before he could reach the plate. "Uh huh, don't touch the French fries Castle!"

"But I bought them!"

"Yes you did, but you bought them for _me_ Rick, I can tell by the ketchup you put on the plate." Kate gave him a smoldering look.

Reaching out he took one more fry and said while heading toward the door, "Fine, but when I collapse from hunger try not to trip over me."

Kate snickered at that and reached for a fry while Lanie just smiled. "Girl, you two are just sooo cute! I knew that man would be good for you. Too bad the bets all timed out, I knew you'd make him wait and the date I picked was still too early!"

"You know, people keep talking about betting about us, but I never hear any details, just how much was involved?"

"Hmmm, there were actually a few going on, but the biggest one, on the two of you getting together, had enough in the pot that I could go away next winter to a nice warm island for a month, and probably take Javi with me."

Kate whistled, "You've got to be kidding? Who would bet on that?"

"Duh! Just about everybody."

"Let me get this straight, you'd pick a date, and it wasn't like going to a movie or something, right?"

"Right. Like May 10th, or April 7th, or July 4th, that sort of date. I picked the latest date and it timed out only a few days after you dumped motorcycle boy."

"Uh huh, so did you get your money back or are there new bets, like first born male child or something like that?" Kate asked with a smirk.

"Nah, we all decided to put it in the fund for injured officers. They were thrilled to get such a big donation. Didn't you read the 12th got a letter of Commendation from the Commissioner thanking us for it?"

"I made a donation to that! I thought it was a collection."

"Nope, I'd say it was ninety nine percent bets on you and writer man over there."

They both looked out the window to see Rick animatedly speaking to Esposito and Ryan.

"Look at them out there, like the Three Musketeers…"

"More like the Three Stooges, did you see the tower of take out boxes they made yesterday?" Kate replied, "The Captain walked in to get a coffee, took one look at it and walked out again shaking his head."

"He did?"

"Yeah, by the look on his face though, he probably would have loved to join in with them."

Lanie stared out the window and then said quietly, "You know Kate that man of yours is not just good for you, but he is real good for the precinct too. Look around the bull pen and even on the other floors. People genuinely _like_ him, he can make you feel good just being around, and he lightens up the mood."

"I know Lanie. I realized on the first case we worked together after he signed his life away that he was not just going to be trouble, but a lot of fun," she saw a puzzled look on Lanie's face, "you remember, the one where the nanny was murdered by another nanny and stuffed in the dryer?"

"Oh yeah, now I remember."

"Well we were all sitting around Esposito's desk trying to come with some ideas, and Rick started to weave a story, word by word dragging us all in till he had us hooked."

"What happened then?"

"Then he stops dead, and said something like 'see, it's a better story' then asked if anyone wanted a coffee and got up."

Lanie started to laugh, "You're kidding."

"Nope, I had to hide a smile when that happened. Even Captain Montgomery got caught up in it. As he walked away he said 'someone had better find out who lives in apartment 8B'."

"Apartment 8B?"

"Umm hmm, that's the apartment that Rick made up for his story. There was actually an 8B in the building and we had to check it out, but it had nothing to do with the case. The real culprit was on the fifteenth floor." Kate paused and remembered the conversation, chuckling she said, "Now _that_ was embarrassing, When we got off the elevator we walked down the hall and Castle knocked on the first door he found, apartment 15C. When he saw the tenant was an older man, he said something like 'you're too old', and the man asked what he was too old for and Castle replied 'sex' and then the man asked what kind of police we were."

Lanie was laughing and said, "Oh girl, I wish I was a fly on the wall that day. I would have loved to see him get under your skin!"

"That man got under my skin the very first time I met him. I brought him into the precinct to ask about the case and he flirted with me, turned my words around and pretty much made me wish I'd never met him."

"And now look at the two of you, finally together. You were giving us all heart palpitations it took you so long!"

"Well, he had some growing up to do Lanie."

"So did you girlfriend, lucky you grew together then, isn't it?"

Kate turned back to Lanie and said, "Have you been talking to Rick?"

"Huh? No, why?"

"He said something like that the other night, wanting us to 'grow together', not just grow old together. Of course, the way he said it sent shivers up my spine. There are times I could just take a bite out of him he's so sweet."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're really Kate Beckett or someone cloned you from Jenny. I understand being crazy for the guy, but after a while the constant sweetness gets a little thick."

"I like Jenny! I think she's great and she and Ryan are perfect together."

"Don't get me wrong, I like her too, but if I ever hear you call Castle 'sugarplum' or something like that, I will seriously think about signing you up for a mental evaluation!"

Kate burst out laughing and Lanie joined in. Calming down Kate said, "Lanie, I still feel the same way I did that first day. I don't know what it is about being with him; I can't explain it any other way except…"

She paused for a moment then looked at Lanie with a more serious expression, "I feel good, I feel happy; you know in the movie A Christmas Carol, how Scrooge is almost giddy after his dreams?"

Lanie nodded yes.

"Well I feel like that. I felt like that from the time he told me how much he cared. I have felt it through the first month and our fight, and even though we're past what you could call 'the honeymoon stage', I still feel the same."

Kate stopped talking and just looked at Lanie for a few seconds before finally saying, "No one has _ever_ made me feel like this. I didn't even know I _could_ feel this way. Letting myself go, Lanie, it's the most amazing thing."

Grabbing the last French fry from the plate, Kate looked back at Rick and said, "I'd better get out there before he corrupts my boys."

Throwing the empty plate in the trash Lanie replied, "Oh you are way too late for that!" Laughing, the two walked out to see what was going on.

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"It really isn't all that exciting." Seeing the skeptical looks from both Ryan and Esposito, Rick continued, "No, I mean it; I just go up there, read a few paragraphs from the book and answer questions for about half an hour."

Esposito said, "Castle, we were there last year, remember? That was some fancy shindig for a book."

Kate and Lanie arrived just as Esposito finished speaking and Kate answered him, "That was a pre-publication party, not a book reading. The book readings can be pretty tame."

Castle, who was sitting on the edge of a nearby desk, turned to Kate and said, "Only as long as some gorgeous woman doesn't walk up, shedding a coat to show a short, tight, dress and legs that last forever…" he suddenly stopped talking and sat with his eyes staring at nothing.

Esposito waved his hand in front of Castles face and said, "Yo, Castle! Earth to Castle!"

Castle shook his head and said, "Sorry. Got lost in the memory there for a moment." He paused and then said, "That had to be by far the most enjoyable book reading I have _ever_ attended."

Ryan asked, "So all you're going to do is read from your book and answer a few questions?"

"That's pretty much it, other than signing books for people."

Kate looked to Lanie and mumbled, "Among other things."

Castle looked at her and raised his right eyebrow and she just gave him a mysterious smile.

"Bro, what kind of questions do they ask?"

"They're not special, except to the people who ask them, so I'm always polite. I really do appreciate my fans."

"Yeah, we know that, but what do they ask?" Ryan said.

"I usually hear things like, 'I'm your biggest fan!', or 'Where do you get your ideas?', and I always reply as if I've never heard the question before."

Kate piped in with, "What? You didn't tell them your favorite question?"

"My favorite question?"

"You know, when the bimbette comes up to you and asks you to sign her chest?"

"Hey! I haven't signed one of those in years!"

"Really? How long?"

He smiled and his blue eyes meet her green as he said, "Over three. I haven't signed anyone's chest in over three years."

The number of years was not lost on any of them; they all realized he hadn't done that since he met Kate.

"And besides, that isn't my favorite question."

Lanie asked, "It's not?"

He paused a moment and added, "Actually my favorite question was asked to me only once, and it came right out of the blue."

"You can't stop there bro, you have to tell us."

"I was standing at a bar sipping some champagne and talking to Alexis when this long legged, gorgeous woman with reddish hair came up to me and asked it."

He sighed and then smiled saying, "I remember every second of that moment like it was yesterday."

Kate blurted out, "You remember what I said?"

All four sets of eyes looked at her but she kept hers squarely on his blue, waiting for his response.

"Of course. They're twenty of the most important words I ever heard, they literally changed my life."

Lanie asked, "What were they Castle?"

He eyes were locked on Kate's, "It was really twenty two if you add when she called my name, but she said 'Mr. Castle?', and I turned around with a pen and asked her where she wanted me to sign, but she flashed her badge and said, 'Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. We need to ask you a few questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight.'"

As he was speaking Kate saw that scene in her mind and her eyes widened, realizing what he had just done. He told her that he had been caught by her from that very first night. Not only that he had been caught, but that he never wanted to be let go.

A wave of emotion surged through her and her eyes became soft as they both simply stared at each other, caught in each other's gaze, once again speaking volumes in mere seconds.

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other, shook their heads and turned back to their work but Lanie leaned into Kate, tapped her shoulder and said, "Remember what I said about sugarplum!" before heading back to the morgue.

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After another long boring day, Kate and Rick went to her apartment where they fixed a quick dinner and after cleaning up, were now sitting quietly on her couch.

Rick was checking something on the internet through his phone and Kate was holding the new book by Patterson as a tease. He looked up from his phone and said, "According to the NYPD recruiting website, you get twenty seven vacation days per year."

"Yeah, so?"

"How many have you used this year?"

"Lets see, I took last Friday off and…" she frowned for a moment then said, "I've only taken one vacation day this year."

"Do any days get carried over from the year before?"

"I have eight days left over…what are you getting at?"

"That means you have twenty six from this year and eight from last year, so you can take an entire month off if you want!"

"What? Of course I can't!"

"Sure you can. You're allowed those days, aren't you?"

"Yes, but we all take vacations depending on the coverage in the precinct. I wouldn't leave my team for that long, and they wouldn't leave me either. You expect Karpowski to work a whole month without any time off?"

"Why would she do that?"

Kate looked at him and suddenly realized he really has no idea what she's talking about. "Rick, how many homicide teams do we have at the 12th?"

"Well there's you and Karpow…oh."

"Right. We're down to two teams, which is why we both get called at all times of the day or night."

She put the book down, leaned towards him and put her hand on his arm, "I'm guessing you've never had to check with anyone before going on a vacation, have you?"

"Other than the occasional teacher for Alexis, no."

"Well we usually go through a process where we put in our most important dates and then work it out among ourselves to make sure the department is covered."

Rick sat in thought and said, "I don't remember you doing that this year."

Kate shrugged, "I didn't. Till I had to take time off last year to find an apartment, I hadn't taken more than a couple of days off since I joined the force."

"Really? But you've spoken of places you've been."

"That was before my mother was killed. I haven't been on a real vacation since then."

"I can see I have my work cut out for me."

"Huh?"

"I've been thinking we should go away for a bit. Just the two of us, away from the city and really spend time together."

"That sounds nice, but not for a month."

Rick gave her a worried look. "But you haven't been on a real vacation since you were nineteen! I have to figure out something really special."

Kate leaned over and kissed his cheek then softly said in his ear, "Don't go overboard. Anywhere with you will be special."

She pulled back and smiled, 'Wow', she thought, 'I actually made him blush!'

He turned to her with a soft smile and said, "Sometimes Kate, you leave me speechless."

She sat back with a wicked smile and said, "Gotta remember that at the precinct."

"Ha…ha," he said with a grin, "Lemme see what I can find." And he started surfing the net looking for ideas.

Kate sat back on the couch and opened Patterson's book and re-read the message he wrote when he autographed it, "_To Kate, don't ever let Rick read this, but play it up big and drive him crazy_!" She smiled to herself, thinking how he reacted this afternoon. 'Hmmm, maybe tomorrow I'll tell him how great the book is,' she thought.

He was still playing with his cell phone when he sighed and said, "Kate? Do you mind if I leave a laptop here?"

"No, why?"

Rick held up his phone and said, "Teeny, tiny screen."

"Why don't you get a tablet?"

"Too big for my pocket."

"What about that bag you used to have?"

"Bag?"

"Yeah, the one you stole the evidence in on the case where we met."

"Oh, I'd never use that." Rick said, giving a theatrical shudder, "It's too much like a man purse or something."

"Oh you are so metro! But if you don't like them, why did you use it?"

"I only used that as an excuse to carry your present, and borrow the evidence…to make you follow me."

"You took the evidence to make me follow you?"

"Sure, how else could I get to see you again. You didn't seem to like me much. I knew you wouldn't go out on a date with me."

"You wanted to go out with me? Not just a one night stand?"

Looks her in the eye and says, "Kate, you had me from that first night; when you said "I think we're done here" my heart fell and I wanted so bad to see you again."

Her heart felt like it was jumping up and down, "Really?"

"Yeah." He paused a moment and said, "So you're ok with the laptop then."

Kate pulled herself back from her thoughts and said, "No. I mean yes. You can leave a laptop here."

"Thanks, he said, "you have no idea how hard it is for me to type ideas for the books on this thing."

He wiggled his thumbs at her and continued, "You may have noticed that my thumbs are somewhat wider than a fifteen year old girl who texts regularly."

"But Rick, you _are_ pretty quick on the texting thing; you get them out fast when you want to."

"True, I am a man of many talents," he said as she rolled her eyes, "but when you want to write ideas, you need more than your thumbs. I have my pen and notebook, but sometimes I really need a keyboard to get the juices flowing."

He turned back to his phone and continued searching for vacation ideas and she opened the book again, but didn't read the words. Instead she was thinking.

They had only been dating each other, 'officially', for a little over five weeks. Not that long at all as far as any of her previous relationships were concerned, but like he said, they'd been dating, flirting, and learning to trust each other for the three years previous.

"Poor Josh never really stood a chance,' she thought as she looked at Rick out of the corner of her eye. 'Never here when I wanted him and always around when I didn't, he always tried to make a big splash to impress me while Rick learned that's not what I want.'

She thought again of what he had just said, how he so badly wanted to see her again after they thought that first case was closed. Then she recalled what he said this afternoon, how he remembers what she said to him at the book launch.

Lastly remembering when he said, 'believe me Kate, we will be married', she swallowed again at the passion and conviction in his voice, the serious look in his eyes and she felt again the thrill when he said it. She had to admit to herself that part of her, well, to be honest all of her, had longed to hear those words from him.

She felt a warmth fill her as she thought of all he's done over the years, how endearing so many were to her, even if she didn't show it at the time. She looked out the corner of her eye again and saw him still searching for a vacation, a vacation for her. She knew he didn't care where they went as long as she was there with him.

She felt the passion rise and she bit her lower lip, her eyes were bright as a wicked grin came across her face. Suddenly she slammed the book closed, causing him to jump in his seat. He turned to look at her and she captured him with her eyes. Eyes she knew were filled with desire, with want, with love; and he was caught.

Her grin widened as she put the book down and slowly stalked him across the couch…and before he could say a word she jumped on him and pasted her lips to his. Kissing him with a passion that he had never experienced before, the phone fell from his hands as he happily gave in to the inevitable. He was well and truly caught, and he never wanted to be let go.

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The ringing of her phone woke him up, 'Mmmphhh," he said, trying to pull himself from unconsciousness.

"Beckett," he heard her say.

"Hold on a sec while I get a pad a pencil…ok…yeah…right…got it. Ok see you in about thirty minutes."

"What's the matter Kate?"

"Rise and shine Castle, we have a case."

Already she was in detective mode and preparing herself for the scene to come.

Rick watched as she got out of bed and couldn't help but admire what he saw. To his eyes she was beyond exquisite. He had been with women before, not just his wives, but nowhere near what his reputation said.

He actually preferred to spend time home with Alexis rather than being out at parties. She has been his life since the day she was born, but now, for the first time since then, someone else was also his life, truly in his life. Someone filled that void in his heart that his daughter couldn't fill. And there was part of him that was so _grateful_ that the universe hadn't forgotten him after all.

As Kate entered the bathroom door he said, "I'll make some coffee to help you wake up."

She turned and watched him get out of bed and a full smile came on her face. "Thank you, Rick. I really do appreciate it," she said while thinking how much she really does appreciate _him_. She didn't know what it was she did to deserve this happiness, but come what may, she was going to hold on to it, and him, as tightly as possible.

Twenty minutes later Kate dropped him off at the loft. "I'll change and meet you there," he said as he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

She smiled as he got out of the car and said as he was closing the door, "Don't be too long Rick, I like having you around!"

They both smiled at each other as she pulled away and headed to the crime scene, as she pulled around the corner and out of sight, Rick hurried up to the loft to freshen up and change his clothes. 'Hmmm,' he thought, 'maybe I should leave a couple changes at Kate's place…better ask first.'

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She had just finished hearing Lanie's initial findings when Kate heard him arrive before she saw him. At the yellow crime scene tape he stopped to talk to the officer. Kate had no idea who he was but Castle knew him by name.

"Hi Paulson, how's your daughter Tracy feeling?"

"Hey Castle, she's doing better, thanks. Using the steam from the shower till we could buy a humidifier really helped. How'd you know about that?"

"She may be almost eighteen now, but I remember when I had a little girl with a bad cold!"

Officer Paulson laughed and raised the tape so Castle could enter the scene.

While Kate was listening to the conversation, she recalled what Lanie had said the day before, how Rick was good for the whole precinct, that people liked him, and she just got first hand knowledge of why.

He cared for people. That uncaring, unfeeling playboy she met almost four years ago was nothing but an act. As he offered her the usual cup of coffee, she thought he probably knows the names of everyone at the 12th, or at least most of them, but he never lets on that he does.

'Pretty good Kate,' she thought. 'You peeled away another layer of the Castle onion.'

Lanie looked up from the body and said, "About time you showed up Castle. Where have you been, don't you know our girl here needs her caffeine?"

Castle smiled and said, "I missed you too Lanie, but I'll have you know I was sound asleep when the call came, and got here as soon as possible."

Lanie looked at both Castle and Beckett, trying to determine if he told her the whole truth or not. As she was about to ask another question Rick pulled a white bag from his jacket pocket and shook it in front of her.

"Got you a present," he said in a sing, song voice.

Kate had watched worriedly as Lanie was about to cross examine Rick, but was now as engrossed in finding out what was in the bag as Lanie was.

"What did you get me Castle?"

"Remember when you were peeved that I brought Beckett a coffee and nothing for you?"

"Yeeesss."

"I offered you my coffee but you said you didn't drink it and then said it wouldn't kill me to bring you a…"

"Bear Claw!" Lanie exclaimed. "You mean you really brought me something, not just your girl here?"

Kate said, "Lanie!" at the same time Rick said, "Sure did!"

Lanie reached for the bag and said, "I haven't had anything to eat since lunch yesterday…Castle I love you!" just as Esposito walked up to Beckett with some information on the victim.

Looking at the excited face of his girlfriend, Esposito looked at Castle with a frown and said, "Bro, not cool!"

Ryan came up just then with an open notebook in his hand, stopped as he looked at the three standing there and said, "I missed something again, didn't I?"

Beckett rolled her eyes and said, "Ok Lanie, let me know when you can get more information on time and cause of death. We'll canvas the area before heading back to the precinct."

As Beckett and Castle walked away, he turned to Esposito, pointed to Lanie and the bag and mouthed the words, "Bear claw…your job!"

Esposito looked again at Lanie who had removed her gloves and was making all sorts of yummy noises after biting into the pastry. Looking back at Castle he nodded his head yes. Castle turned with a smile on his face and caught up to Beckett.

"Nice save there Castle," she said as he came to her side.

"Deflecting potential embarrassing questions is my specialty, Detective."

"Really?" she said with a smile. "I remember a few times when you couldn't say a word without putting your foot in your mouth."

They both nodded to Officer Paulson who held up the yellow tape for them as they walked away from the crime scene, and Rick said, "Ah, but like a fine wine, I improve with age."

Arriving at her car, Kate said, "Age, Rick? You're going to go with age?"

As he nodded yes she continued, "Hmmm, if you're that old, maybe I should be looking for two twenty year olds?"

Looking around to see no one watching, he leaned in to her and softly said, "Didn't I hear you mumble something about testosterone last night?"

Kate blushed and was glad it was still too dark to see her face as she moved away from him and said, "Let's start knocking on doors Castle!"

He gave a soft smile as he watched her start to walk to the first apartment building, then with a twinkle in his eye he hurried to catch up to her.

As they entered the building he asked, "Why do you suppose the victim was wearing ballet slippers in an alley?"

"I don't know Castle, alien abduction?"

As the door closed behind them he said, "Detective Beckett! I am so proud of you!"

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A few hours later they were in the car heading back to the precinct when Kate caught Rick trying to stifle a yawn. "Rick, what time is your reading tonight?"

"Seven, why?"

"You really didn't get much sleep last night and if you have to be "up" for your fans tonight, would you like me to drop you back at the loft for a few more hours of sleep?"

"Nope," he said with grin, "as your partner I plan on sitting in my chair and watching you for the whole day."

She turned to look at him with surprise, "You're giving up on sleep just to sit and stare at me all day?"

His right eyebrow bobbed up and down twice and his eyes sparkled as he replied, "Of course! Dreaming of you is wonderful, but being with you is better, much, much better."

Kate smiled thinking how corny his line was, and yet those lines from him, no matter how corny, were what she could never get enough of.

Looking at him from the corner of her eye she saw him strike a dramatic pose before speaking again and thought, 'oh yes, he's Martha Rogers son alright,' just before she saw his face scrunch up as he tried to stifle another yawn.

She started to laugh. He was just too adorable trying to pretend that he wasn't exhausted. Her laugh surprised him and before he realized what was happening, he turned to her and another yawn started that he was unable to stop.

This time Kate laughed out loud, as he couldn't stop his mouth from opening wide, almost as wide as his eyes did in shock that his body betrayed him.

"Sure, you're not tired," she said just before laughing again.

"Hmphh! Well, you got just as little sleep as I did, aaaaaand," he dragged out the word, getting her complete attention as they stopped at a red light, "you, how shall I put this…_exercised_ just as much as me," he finished with a self satisfied smirk.

'Oh, you are just too easy Rick,' Kate thought to herself before she gave him a smoldering look and said, "Exercised? Oh no Ricky, that was just warming up."

She turned back to watch the road as the light turned green but caught a glimpse of his face before she did. The look on his face was priceless and she wished she had a camera for future blackmail.

He was about to say something when another yawn hit him and she said, "That's it, back to the loft and you get some sleep!"

"But Kate, what if something breaks?"

"I'll call. But you have to be 'Richard Castle, Famous Author' tonight, and you can't schmooze people when you're tired."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Yeah, but I can get out at five and be asleep at six, where you have to work tonight."

As they pulled in front of his building Rick said, "Kate, you don't have to worry about that, I can always have some espresso and put on my public face."

She put the car in park and turned her body towards him and said with a very serious look on her face, "Listen to me Rick, you take care of Alexis and as often as you pretend to complain about it, you take care of your mother as well…and you take care of me, as hard as I find it sometimes to let you."

He started to say something but she put up her hand to stop him and said, "Don't interrupt me; I'm not finished yet. I'm learning to let you take care of me, it isn't easy, but I'm trying. You are a protector of those you love, I understand that, but that's a two way street Rick, 'cause I am too, and I have every intention of taking care of you when you need it."

"But Kate, you don't…"

"You take care of me, I take care of you. We're a team. You peeled back another layer of the Beckett onion, I look out for the people I love, and till you came along it was just me and my dad. Now I have Alexis, Martha and you, so you'd better get used to it because I'm here to stay!"

He couldn't take his eyes off her. Her face was serious but not in a bad way, her eyes were fiery, but in a protective way. He'd never had anyone love him like this before and he had a hard time swallowing, but he did and then softly said, "So should I make up new cards that say 'Richard Castle, O&D'?"

She smiled softly and touched his hand, "I've never felt this protective for anybody else except my dad…you are my 'One and Done' and you're stuck with me Rick, now and always."

He leaned forward and gave her a light kiss, pulled his head back and said, "Call me if anything happens...and please don't work too late? You need rest too."

Kate smiled and nodded her head yes as he opened the door and got out, "Ok Tonto, I will."

Before closing the door he leaned down and said, "Last word, huh?"

A big smile came on her face, the one that lit up his world, "Yep. Get some sleep love, and call me when you wake up."

He closed the door and threw her a kiss as she drove back to the precinct. As she drove out of sight he smiled and turned into his building, amazed that he was the man she chose for the rest of her life.

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Rick woke up to the sound of Alexis returning from school. "Dad? Why are you sleeping on the couch?"

"Oh, hi pumpkin. We had a real early case this morning and Kate dropped me off to get a little rest before the reading tonight."

"But why are you on the couch?"

"Ahh, I didn't make it to my bed?"

"Daaad!," she said and rolled her eyes.

"You know, it's really spooky how you're picking up things from Kate."

"Really? Thanks, I think she is so cool. You know, I asked her if she'd teach me martial arts and self defense. She said she'd check with you first."

Rick stretched and yawned then said, "Well sweetie, if you want to learn, always go to the best. You should have seen the way she took down…wait! I don't think you need to know that one."

"Yeah Dad, sure." Alexis gave him a smile as she headed up to her room. "Are we having supper before you go?"

"Sure, how about Chicken ala Rick?"

"Comfort food? Sounds good Dad." She headed back up the stairs but stopped near the top and turned around, "Dad?"

"Yes pumpkin."

"Why do we call macaroni and cheese Chicken ala Rick?"

"Oh, well, no reason. You thought it was funny when you were five."

Alexis smiled and a far away look came over her face when she said, "Nice memories." Looking back at her father she said, "Chicken ala Rick sounds real good Dad."

With a big smile on her face, Alexis went to her room, while Rick entered the kitchen with a huge smile of his own.

As he was getting the ingredients, he picked up his phone and called Kate. After just two rings, she answered saying, "Just wake up?"

"Hi, yeah Alexis just got home from school and found me on the couch." He paused for a second and said, "You know Kate, I have a really great kid there."

"I won't argue with you on that, but why did you sleep on the couch?"

"Kind of embarrassing."

"Rick…"

"I sat on the couch to take off my shoes and almost immediately fell asleep."

A smug look came on her face as Kate replied, "Told ya so."

"I can hear the smug look in your voice. You're going to be insufferable for the next week now, aren't you?"

"No, just for the next few days," she said with a big smile. "Maybe from now on you'll listen to me?"

"Ha…ha. Two way street, remember?"

"Are you going to make dinner for you and Alexis? You really should have something to eat before you go to your reading."

"Smooth change of subject Kate. As a matter of fact I am in the process of creating my world famous, Chicken ala Rick for my darling daughter."

"Oooo, mac and cheese," she said as she smacked her lips remembering how good it tasted. "Are you using the pecorino?"

"But of course," he answered with a smile in a very poor Italian accent. "It is nothing without my semi secret ingredient."

"Mmmm, make extra and you can bring it in tomorrow for my lunch."

"Your wish is my command, but why don't you leave early and come over to eat with us?"

"Still waiting for information on your alien abductee with the ballet shoes."

"In that case I'll make a double portion."

"Thank you. Now, what are you wearing tonight?"

"I thought some nice jeans, shirt and jacket."

"Hmmm, wear your charcoal jeans, your sky blue shirt and your grey jacket…oh, and don't shave."

"Kate? Why, why, why and why?

"The jeans really make your legs look good, the shirt brings out the color of your eyes and makes them look even bluer, the grey jacket accentuates the shirt and your eyes, and a five o'clock shadow makes you look sexy."

"Kate! You've been checking me out!"

"Yep, since day one. You just never caught me. So I know you will really look good for your fans tonight if you wear what I suggested."

"You are aware that these events usually bring out the fangirls, right?"

Kate laughed softly and said, "Yeah, poor things, they can look but they can't touch."

"Kaaate! Do you have any idea how hot that was?"

"Have fun Rick, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait, wait, wait…are you going to go right to sleep or can I call you when I get back?"

"You know you can call me anytime. I'd love to hear how it went."

"Good, then I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you too, bye."

While he was talking to Kate he was making dinner, and in a few minutes it was done and Alexis was coming down the stairs.

As they sat down to eat Alexis asked what he was going to wear to the reading and he told her what Kate suggested. Alexis thought for a moment, two little lines appearing between her eyebrows, looking exactly like her father when he was deep in thought. Finally she said, "I wouldn't change a thing, it's exactly what I would have told you to wear."

Rick smiled and was just putting another forkful of Chicken ala Rick in his mouth when Alexis said, "I'm glad to know you'll have someone here to take care of you when I go to college."

Seconds later, she was patting his back as he choked on his food.

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Kate and Lanie stood outside the huge bookstore, watching the line of people, mostly women, many young women, waiting both inside and out to have Richard Castle sign their books. Kate had made a quick trip home to freshen up and then they came here.

"When I was a kid my folks took us to Orlando," Lanie said. "Look at that line! It reminds me of some of the lines for the rides we had to wait in for hours."

"Yeah," Kate said softly, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "The last reading I went to was a lot more subdued than this."

"Probably 'cause he's signing their books, though from the looks of that one over there, she's looking to get something else signed. Kate look! They're almost falling out of her blouse!"

"Lanie, shhh! I am not about to check out all the bimbettes who are wasting their time trying for a shot at Rick."

"Pretty sure of yourself, huh?"

"No, just sure of him," Kate replied. "Come on, lets get inside, Paula should be nearby waiting for me."

"Kate?" Lanie asked quietly, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Taking a deep breath, Kate said, "Honestly Lanie, no I'm not. But this is Rick's world, and if I'm going to be part of it, I have to be willing to share all of it, the good…" Kate paused, then waved her hand at the line of people, "and the bad. Well, at least the bad for me."

"And he has no idea you're here?"

"I specifically told Paula not to tell him. I know how nervous he gets when he thinks that I'm unhappy or worried about something of his job." Kate looked again at the crowd, the large photos of Rick in the windows and the security people keeping everyone in line. She could feel the excitement of those waiting to meet their favorite author. She was one of them herself once, and secretly still is.

Taking a few more deep breaths to help calm herself Kate continued, "Lanie, I have always been a very private person, but I'm with Rick now, with a man who I trust completely. I have never been as sure of anyone in my life as I am of Rick, and I want him to know that I will support him in any way that I can, just like he always supports me."

"In that case Kate, let's go into the shark tank…I just hope there's no feeding frenzy tonight."

Kate turned her head, gave a slight smile and said sarcastically, "Just what I needed to hear Lanie, thanks a lot!"

The two women walked to the store and received angry looks from people in line; at the door they were stopped by a security man, who informed them they had to get in the back of the line to meet Mr. Castle.

"Mr. Who?" Lanie asked.

"Richard Castle, the author," he answered. "He just finished a reading for about fifty people and in another five minutes he'll start signing books; you need to get to the end of the line to get your book signed."

Lanie was quickly becoming exasperated with the man and asked, "Excuse me, do you see any books here we want signed?"

Kate put her hand on her arm and said, "We aren't here to get anything signed by Richard Castle, I'm supposed to meet Paula Haas."

Picking up a list he said, "Oh, I'm sorry, what's the name please?"

Kate answered, "Lanie Parish."

"Oh yes, here's your name Ms. Parish, you can go right in. Ms. Haas should be near the back of the store where Mr. Castle is."

"Thank you very much," Kate replied and she and Lanie entered the store.

As they started to walk to the back Lanie said, "Lanie Parish? You used my name?"

Kate rolled her eyes saying, "Should I call myself Javier Esposito? Paula specifically said not to use my own name, people know I'm the inspiration for Nikki Heat and it could have started a mess out there."

As they neared the back of the store Lanie exclaimed, "Kate! Oh this is too funny. They have him in the Children's Section!"

"Children's section?" Kate asked with a big grin. "That's just…"

"Perfect?" said a voice behind them.

They turned to see a brunette with striking eyes and a big smile whose hand was stretched out to Kate.

Kate shook her hand and said, "Paula? I'm Kate Beckett and this is my good friend Dr. Lanie Parish."

Paula gave Lanie a brief smile, released Kate's hand and said, "Yes, I'm Paula and even though I saw you once before at the 'Heat Wave' launch party, I'd know you anywhere just from talking to Rick."

She looked around and said, "Come with me to the manager's office before he sees you." With that she turned and quickly walked away, clearly expecting them to follow her.

Lanie looked at Kate, who shrugged her shoulders and they both quickly followed Paula out of the main store to the managers' office.

When they entered the office Paula quickly closed the door behind them and said, "I haven't told him a thing. But before we do this, I want to know why?"

"Why what? Kate asked.

"Why you, the person who Rick says keeps her private life private, wants to do this. You're the reason I spent three days chewing out editors, reporters and producers because when that damn photo came out Rick had a fit and stepped in it thinking you were going to walk. So why do you want to do this?"

Lanie started to defend Kate but Paula stopped her by raising one manicured finger. "Not you, Dr. Parish, her." Turning back to Kate she said, "I am one of the best book agents in the business, I have plenty of clients, and a long list of people who want me, but only one of them I consider a friend, and that's Rick. He just read a few pages from Heat Rises and I think it's going to be his most popular book ever. When you add them together he's written you a nine hundred and fifty page love letter, and that's a hell of a lot more than he's ever done for anybody."

She paused and looked Kate in the eyes and said, "So why? What do you get from this? Because I'll tell you now, if you hurt him I will set the dogs loose, and it won't be pretty!"

Kate looked right back at Paula and saw something in her eyes that made her change her opinion of her. Before today she had always thought Paula was just another pushy female who made money off Rick, like Gina, but now she realized that Paula was a lot more. After coming to that conclusion, she smiled and put out her hand.

Paula was shocked to say the least. This was not what she expected. She looked at Kate's hand before slowly putting out her own, and clasping it in a handshake. Something in Kate's smile told her she was a kindred spirit, perhaps because the smile reminded her of a tiger, just before it devours its prey, which is how many people have described her when she is protecting her clients.

"Paula, I think we're going to get along just fine. You see, as far as I'm concerned, anyone who hurts Rick has to deal with me, and I won't be a gentle as you."

She let go of Paula's hand and said, "As for why? Like I told Lanie outside, this is important to Rick, so it's important to me. What we have is not a romance, what we have is the full story, because we have both stared death in the face and walked away. You can't help being changed by that."

She paused a moment gathering her thoughts and finally said, "We're partners, in every sense of the word, and when I look ahead, his are the only eyes I see."

Paula chuckled and said, "There's a phrase that goes, 'In it till the wheels fall off,' sounds like you're there."

Kate shook her head and replied, "No Paula. I'm not in it till the wheels fall off. If the damn things do, we'll carry it together or get new wheels. I'm in it forever."

Lanie didn't make a sound, she didn't want them out of their little world of Rick Castle. She was eating up every word that Kate said.

As her friend, Lanie knew that Kate was loyal to those she cared for. Lanie knew that she stood by her friends through thick and thin, that she gave her all into a friendship. She also knew that when Kate loved someone, she would love them all the way, she would put 110% into it. Until now, Lanie had never seen Kate in love, and she knew that Kate would do anything to help her man, just as he would do anything to help her.

Lanie smiled to herself, when it came to love, when it came to giving of herself, Kate Beckett was almost a primitive. Rick Castle was _hers_, and Lanie knew that Kate would never let him go. Castle was the same way, and on their own they were each pretty impressive, but together…together they made an unbeatable team, and they took care of their own. Which Lanie appreciated, because Javi was one of theirs.

Coming out of her thoughts she heard Paula speaking to Kate, "…so the table is wide enough for the second seat, where you'll be sitting, and there are extra pens. You don't have to write anything other than your name if you want, or even just sign it as Nikki Heat."

Paula stopped as she heard a murmuring from the crowd outside the door, turning to Kate she said, "Looks like he's about to make his appearance, how do you want to do this?"

Kate hadn't thought about that, she only knew she wanted to be there to support Rick. She looked to Lanie and back to Paula and said, "I'm not sure. I've never done anything like this before."

Looking at Paula she decided to put her trust in her and asked, "What would be the best way to do it Paula?"

Before Paula could reply Lanie said, "Hey girl, he brings you coffee every morning, right?"

"Yeah, he always does."

"That's been his way of saying 'I love you' for a long time now. Look on the other side of the children's section, what do you see?"

Kate and Paula looked out the window and saw the coffee stand. They looked at each other, smiled, and then turned to Lanie. 

"He isn't at his seat yet, why don't you go buy him and yourself a coffee and just nonchalantly walk over and set it down in front of him?"

With a big grin on their faces the three women headed to the coffee counter, keeping an eye out for Rick's return.

After ordering the coffees Paula said she would go over and make sure no one stopped Kate when she went to the table, but had one last question to ask. "Kate, we can get a lot of good press for Rick if I call a couple of contacts and give them an exclusive that you will be here. You'll be all over Page 6 and the tabloids though, whether I make the calls or not. But if I call, we have some good feelings for us that we can use later."

Kate pinched the top of her nose between her eyes, closing them for a few seconds before she sighed and said, "Do what you have to do Paula, but do your best to keep it…" she paused as she thought of the right word. "…calm? Not like Rick Castle, playboy author?"

She shook her head and said, "I don't know, I'm way out of my comfort zone here and I don't want to panic." She looked at Paula and said, "Do you know what I mean?"

Paula patted her arm and said, "Leave it to me, that's my job, and I'm damn good at it!" Paula pulled out her phone and started making calls as she walked back to the Children's section to arrange things for Kate.

They both heard the crowd of people become excited as Rick made his appearance for the signing. Lanie looked at Kate and said, "Showtime, girl. If you need me I'll be in the Travel section, checking out all those places I can't afford to see yet."

Kate's hand held Lanie's arm as she gave a slight squeeze and said, "Thanks Lanie. I really appreciate you coming here with me tonight. I know it's bound to be boring."

"Are you kidding? Boring? Girl, I'll be telling this story to your grandchildren, and they'll be eating it up!"

With a big smile she headed for her books when Kate said, "I'll remind Paula that you may want to come up to talk to us."

Lanie waved and just kept waking when Kate turned around to pay for the newly made coffees.

As she was paying she noticed something on the clerk and asked him where he got it; taking out her notebook she quickly wrote down the information before picking up the coffee's. Turning to the Children's section she took a deep breath and started walking.

Rick sat down and smiled at the first person in line. Red hair, obviously dyed, too much eye shadow, way too much red lipstick, and not enough clothing on top. 'Great, another wannabe, bet she's never read a word of what I wrote,' he thought.

As he put on his professional smile and took the book from her hand, a cup of coffee suddenly appeared in front of him, and he could barely discern the hint of a smell of cherries.

Kate sat down next to him and turned to see the biggest smile on his face, and eyes that told her she had been correct to come. She loved that she could make him smile like that, that she could bring out the full-bore smile that was brighter than the flashes that were starting to appear from fans' cameras.

He still had the book in his hands when he heard Paula's voice say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, you are in for a big treat tonight, as Detective Kate Beckett, the inspiration for Nikki Heat, will also sign your books."

He leaned into her and said softly, "Kate, you didn't have to…"

Her left hand touched his knee under the table and she replied, "Shh, you're my partner, where else would I be?"

Putting his hand on hers he squeezed it lightly and mouthed "Thank you."

With a final squeeze to his knee she mouthed, "Always," then lifted her hand and picked up a pen.

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**Authors Note: These two have shown time and again that they can handle the big things that come their way, like freezers and bombs, but like any relationship, it can be the little things which make you trip and fall. I want to show that these two have for the first time in their lives, fully committed themselves to another, fully trust another and have allowed themselves to truly love another. But things like miscommunication, not stepping out of your comfort zone and putting your wants and needs ahead of your partner can lead to much larger problems. Our favorite couple is working hard to keep things like that from happening, and that is how I see this story progressing. Thank you for reading, now I have to think up something for chapter 15.**


	15. Chapter 15, The Date

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 15, The Date

by RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, the characters or ABC. I own a lot of other things (have you ever noticed how stuff accumulates?) but not them.

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Kate carefully looked out the door of her apartment building and checking the area, saw about a half dozen still hanging around. She sighed and waited a few more minutes until Ryan showed up in her car.

Seeing him pull up the half dozen people on the sidewalk realized she would be out in a few seconds and were not disappointed when her door opened and she started walking towards the car.

"Nikki!"

"Kate!"

"Detective Heat!"

All were said at the same time while others took photos of her as she walked to the car. Ryan opened the driver's door and started to get out, an angry look on his face but she waved him back. As she was getting closer to the door they started to swarm around her and she stopped, holding up her hand and in a few moments all sound ceased other than the occasional electronic click of a digital camera.

She looked them over and said, "You all know the drill by now, back up and don't impede me in any way. I'm on the job and this is police business."

They moved back and gave her the space to get to the car. She opened the passenger side and got in and Ryan pulled away, leaving them behind.

Ryan turned and said, "Morning Boss, Castle said he'll have your coffee so you can start smiling now."

She gave him a sharp look out the corner of her eye and he mumbled, "…or not," before turning back and looking straight ahead out the windshield.

Kate sat back in the seat and then started to squirm a bit thinking, 'I hate when he's right; this seat _is_ uncomfortable.' Settling herself in the seat till it didn't hurt as much, she turned to Ryan and said, "Thanks for picking me up. There's not as many as before. If I'm lucky they'll melt away with the rain this afternoon."

"Very few at the precinct either. Looks like the Captain called in the big guns 'cause the Assistant DA said she will take those guys to court and wants to put them in jail."

"They ought to be. Contaminating a crime scene, sneaking up on a group of police already nervous and almost getting shot. Then they claim they're protected by the First Amendment…" Kate trailed off, shaking her head.

Ryan just laughed and said, "I still like what Castle said about them."

Kate smiled to herself as she heard his words again in her mind, 'Were they born that stupid or did they have to practice at it?' The guys _were_ incredibly stupid and what was worse from her viewpoint, completely disrespectful of the deceased and his family. All to get a few photos and a quote from "Nikki and Rook".

"Yeah, well the paper tried to get the charges dropped again yesterday afternoon, and this time they appeared before Judge Williams, and let me tell you he was not happy!"

Kate turned back to Ryan, "He wasn't?"

"Oh yeah. The Captain came out this morning with a transcript of the proceedings, but basically they tried to use the First Amendment again and the judge got angry and interrupted the lawyers." He thought for a moment then said, "I can't remember exactly what he said, but it was something like what Judge O'Brien said, that the First Amendment does not give anyone the right to contaminate a crime scene or impede a police officer in the performance of his or her duties. Then he slammed the gavel down and said the charges will stand."

He chuckled and said, "That is one surprised reporter and paparazzi, let me tell you!"

"I just hope it all blows over soon," she replied. She continued with a sigh, "You can never depend on a bimbette or celebutant to do something stupid and get in the papers when you want them too."

"Yeah, you're right." Ryan started to chuckle and said, "Hey, maybe Castle can find another police horse and…" he trailed off as he saw her face. "Oh yeah, we want to keep the press away, right. Gotcha."

He turned back and they silently drove to the crime scene. The only sound being the squeaking of her seat as Kate continued to find a comfortable spot to sit.

.

.

When Rick got the call from Esposito he checked himself quickly in the mirror and put on a casual sports jacket before heading out. He didn't look in the mirror for vanity sake, he knew he would be going through the press and he would have to make another statement.

Ever since Kate came to the book signing last week, and the photos made it to the papers, they were like vultures, looking for something, anything to write and film. Captain Montgomery was like an angry parent, protecting his children. Not just his detectives, but the entire precinct, and there wasn't an officer in the 12th that wasn't doing his or her best to protect their own.

Detective Beckett had come up through the ranks and was considered one of the best homicide detectives in the city; and Richard Castle, although not an officer himself, was considered one of their own. He knew many of the officers by name and never failed to take a few minutes to speak to them, and especially their families, when meeting outside of work.

Rick was truly humbled by the support he and Kate were receiving from the rank and file, not just of the 12th Precinct but other Precincts as well. As he prepared himself to speak to the press, a conversation was going on in the office of the Captain of the 12th Precinct, between Captain Montgomery and Police Commissioner Thomas Fitzpatrick.

"It appears you were correct Roy, it does seem to be dying down now."

After sipping his coffee Roy looked up at his old friend and replied, "Yes Tom, since Castle had this sort of thing happen to him before, I followed his advice on letting things slide. It worked well until those two idiots decided to crash a crime scene, move evidence and almost get shot just to see if 'Nikki and Rook' act romantically when they go out on a case!"

Tom shook his head and said, "I would have let it go but the DA is furious. The evidence those two reporters contaminated while getting in place to get photos would have made an airtight case, but now they can't use that evidence and the case will be harder to prosecute."

As the Commissioner finished his coffee the Captain asked, "Want another cup of 'Castle's coffee' Tom?"

"That's what you call it now Roy? Castle's coffee?"

"Actually the first time I heard it was about a month ago when I was leaving the Precinct and overheard the desk Sergeant tell his relief that he was going up for a cup of Castle's coffee."

Tom chuckled and said, "Not now thanks," he paused and added, "I never thought when the Mayor called three years ago that Castle would still be following her around, or that he would have become something of an honorary member of the 12th Precinct."

Roy smiled and nodded his head in agreement, "I wouldn't have believed it if you told me, I knew he was attracted to her and that she was attracted to him…" he stopped for a moment and continued, "But don't think that he is an honorary anything here. The 12th Precinct considers him one of our own. He's put his life on the line for Beckett and her team, and they've done the same for him. All three consider him their partner. They trust each other Tom, and you know that's not easy to earn."

Tom replied, "The NYPD has never has such great press in decades. Not only from the articles that have been written about him tagging along with Beckett and her team, but he wrote several Op-Ed's himself that have made us look very, very good."

He stood up and said, "Roy, I just wanted to stop by and tell you personally that I support you and what you are doing for your team. The Homicide division of the 12th Precinct has the best closure rate in the City, and I'm aware that Castle is a big part of that rate being as high as it is."

Roy stood up and they shook hands as the Commissioner made ready to leave. Stopping at the door he turned to Roy and said with a grin, "Oh and Roy? Don't worry; I won't confiscate your coffee machine."

Roy smiled back and answered, "But you'd have to find it first Tom…we wouldn't give it up without a fight!"

Laughing, Tom walked through the bullpen to the elevator and left, enjoying the rare quiet time spent with an old friend.

.

.

As Rick approached the front door of his building he saw about two dozen people waiting for him. As he neared the door they put themselves into position and watched, recorded and photographed him as he opened the door and walked up to them.

"Gentlemen, I have a brief announcement to make before I take a few questions…oh! I'm sorry Donna, I didn't see you there," he paused and said, "_Lady_ and gentlemen…" which elicited a laugh as he waited till those reporters with microphones were close enough to him.

"First, as my publicist Paula Hass has stated, _Kate Beckett_ and I are dating. I am stressing her name to reinforce that anything involving our relationship is outside of work. When I accompany her at a crime scene, things are strictly professional." He smiled and added, "Believe me, there is a lot going on at a crime scene, and there are quite a few people around as well. It is definitely _not_ conducive to romance."

He stopped and looked at the assembled reporters, gave them a puzzled look and continued, "We honestly don't understand what all the fuss is about. I've been working with Detective Beckett for over three years now, and despite rumors that we were romantically involved, nothing like this has happened before.

Many of you know me and have interviewed me before, and Donna has even put me on the most eligible bachelor list for the past five years." He smiled as sincerely as he could and said, "You know that I'm not allergic to the press, I'm more than happy to give you a quote or stop for a photo, I just have to ask that you respect the crime scenes. When it comes to those, _nothing_ has changed. Now, I will happy to answer a few questions before I leave."

.

.

Kneeling at the body with Lanie, Kate first heard his footsteps. She was unaware that she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath when she realized he was near, but Lanie noticed. A tenseness about her was suddenly gone with Castle's arrival.

Lanie could almost see the tension drain out of Kate as she heard his voice and then smelled the coffee. Although she kept her face stoic, Lanie saw that Kate's eyes shone with an inner light that was never there before. Bringing her a coffee was another way of saying 'I Love You' and Lanie saw that Kate finally understood all that it implied.

Keeping her head down, Lanie surreptitiously watched Kate through her eyelashes and knew by what she was seeing that Kate Beckett was in love; well and truly in love with Castle.

In all the years she's known her, Kate never opened herself up like this for any man, but Castle was different in so many ways, and he was the only man she could never push away. Kate had always been the unstoppable force, pushing others away, but Castle was the immovable object and refused to budge. Instead, he pushed back.

'If they'd been in a staring contest,' Lanie thought, 'then they blinked at the same time.' She gave a slight smile as she saw Kate stand up and take the coffee from Castle, their fingers perhaps lingering a second or two longer, that was all. But to Lanie it was more than enough, he showed Kate daily, sometimes hourly, just how much he loved her and how much she means to him.

She recalled her talk with Kate, or what Kate said felt more like Lanie's interrogation of her, as she wanted facts when she and Castle took their relationship to the physical level. They were sitting by the Espresso machine after Lanie rushed upstairs and literally grabbing Kate from her desk, pulled her into the break room, closing the door behind them.

"_All right! All right! Geesh Lanie, you ought to do the interrogations instead of Esposito, compared to you he's a wuss."_

"_Don't try to sidetrack me Kate Beckett, I am not letting you out of this room till I get some answers. How was he?"_

"_Lanie, you're my best friend but I'm not going to go there. It's personal." _

"_You mean you're not gonna give me a score between one and ten? Nothing?"_

"_Nope. You know me, you know that after Will left I had maybe a half dozen dates in what, five years? They were all first dates, never a second one till I dated Tom. And even though I agreed to go away with him for the long weekend, we never got beyond kissing. So, I don't have that big a list to compare him with. But I will say this, he is the first man to ever be more concerned about my enjoyment than his."_

"_Whoo boy, now we're getting someplace! Kate, there's a glow to you, I wasn't kidding downstairs, so I knew it was something special and I want details!"_

"_Here's all you're going to get…it isn't just mechanical. We can giggle when we make love. We can laugh when we make love. I can tell him if something he does feels good or not, and he's ok with that, he's not defensive. I can completely be myself; so the only thing I can tell you is, I now know the difference between having sex and making love. And it is so much better."_

"_Damn girl. That's an eleven in anybody's book!"_

Standing up herself, Lanie shook her head. She'd heard the term before but never saw it in action till now…they were joined at the hip. They were so in tune with each other that it was almost freaky, but it made her all the more happy for her friends.

"How'd it go this morning?" Rick asked Kate quietly.

"Getting easier, for work anyway." Kate replied. "Ryan picked me up in my car."

"He drove?"

"Yes."

"Really? You let him drive?"

Shaking her head she said, "Geez Castle, is your hearing going? That's what I said. Why is it so important?"

"Because now you know just how uncomfortable that seat is! I'll bet you couldn't find a spot that was comfortable the entire drive here!"

She was about to reply when she heard Ryan from behind her say, "Dude you have no idea. She was like a Mexican Jumping Bean in that seat. She jumped out of the car so fast when we got here…" he slowly stopped talking as he saw the look Kate was giving him…piercing…scary. He never noticed before how hooded, almost hawk like, her eyes looked when she was upset...no, make that angry…or maybe angry/upset?

"Uhh, I still have a couple of apartments to check…let me…I think I'll go now!" Ryan then quickly turned around and trotted off to the apartment building all the while wondering how that look seemed to simply bounce off Castle.

Wiggling his eyebrows at her, he said with a smirk, "Mexican Jumping Bean?"

She replied, "Can it Castle, we have a body here," and was turning around to talk to Lanie again when he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Yes dear." Then with a grin he moved away and did what he did best…watch Kate Beckett. He just loved to make her blush.

.

.

Riding in the car back to the precinct, Rick moved as often as he could to show how uncomfortable he was sitting in the passenger seat. Looking at him from the corner of her eye Kate said, "You can always sit in the back Rick…if it's too uncomfortable up front with me."

Realizing it was a losing battle he stopped fidgeting and sighed. "I still say you need a new car."

"Say it all you want, but it's not gonna happen." She paused a moment then asked, "So how did it go with _you_ this morning?"

"Not too bad. Since Paula said I would make a statement and answer a few questions, there were a few dozen there but they were very professional."

"Nobody jumping out of a garbage can to take your picture?"

"Nothing so mundane as that," he paused and added with a grin, "although the helicopter was a nice touch."

"Helicopter?"

With a bigger grin he said, "But the hoverjet was really great! I have to get one of those!"

"Hoverjet? Alright, now I know you're pulling my leg."

He gave a soft chuckle and said, "Pigtails Kate, and you are so adorable when I pull them."

That made her blush and she said, "I don't think I blushed as much in my whole life as I have these past two months. I'll probably have to start wearing a mask."

"Oh! I can see it in the papers now! 'Masked Detective saves city again!' What color mask do you want?"

Smiling because sometimes he just made it too easy she replied, "Black, of course. The Lone Ranger always wore black." Glancing to her right she added, "We'll have to get you a headband and feather…do you like buckskin?"

Twice Rick opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. Finally he said with a smile, "Truce?"

"Ok, but only because you're out numbered."

"Ha. Ha."

"So other than the helicopter and hoverjet, how did this morning go?"

"Not bad. I read the statement we discussed, and then answered a couple of questions." He thought for a minute and said, "I thought it went pretty well but I just remembered something."

"What's that?" she asked.

'There was one question on how serious our relationship was and I brushed it off, but Donna Vincennes was there." At Kate's puzzled look he explained, "She's the one who is in charge of the Society section of the Ledger, the one who puts together the top ten most eligible list every year."

"Oh, now I remember. What did she say?"

"As I was walking past her she asked me quickly what number I wanted to be on this year's list."

Kate felt her stomach drop and found herself gripping the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white. Trying to keep her voice calm she asked, "And did you answer?"

Unaware of Kate's death grip on the wheel Rick said, "Oh yeah, I told her to take me off permanently. I just now realized that answered how serious we are."

Kate slowly let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and relaxed her grip. All the while thinking to herself how foolish she was to even question what he would say. They were together. They loved each other and he told her he intended to marry her one day.

She thought about it for a minute and realized he had been racking up a whole lot of points with her lately. A lot more than he lost when he did something typically Castle; and telling Donna Vincennes to take him off the Ledger's Top Ten Most Eligible Bachelor list, permanently? He added a whole lot more.

Her stomach did another little flip and a warmth filled her as she found herself grinning all the way back to the precinct.

.

.

"Esposito, calm down."

"Calm down? This has got to be the stupidest way to solve a murder I've ever heard. It has to be the stupidest way in history!" he exclaimed.

"Dude, it means we can leave on time today," Ryan said.

Kate added, "Exactly. And didn't you say you had some special plans for tonight?"

"Yeah I do. But this…this is just _so_ wrong in _so_ many ways!"

He turned to look at Castle who was trying to hold in his laughter. "Bro! It is _not_ funny!"

That was all it took and Castle burst out laughing. A couple of other detectives standing nearby also joined Castle in laughter as Beckett and Ryan tried hard not to join them.

Throwing his hands up in the air Esposito said, "Bah! I'm going to get a coffee," and stormed off to the break room. After he left, Beckett and Ryan couldn't hold it in any longer and joined in the laughter.

Catching his breath Ryan said, "I swear, that's exactly how it happened. He called out to the few people who might possibly identify the victim and this guy comes out and says, 'That's him officer, that's the man I killed. Don't know his name but it might be in the wallet I threw in the trash back there,' and Esposito just stood there with his mouth open as the man turned and started to walk away."

Castle was trying to hold in the laughter and said, "Gotta be the dumbest criminal ever!"

"He must have walked about ten feet before the uniforms realized what was happening and grabbed him," Ryan said. "And he was upset we were arresting him! He said something like 'that's what you get for trying to help the police'."

"And in the trash were the wallet _and_ the murder weapon?" Castle asked.

"Yep. Esposito is just disgusted." Ryan started to chuckle again. "He figures this is the most embarrassing arrest we've ever made. Me? I'm just happy we get out early tonight."

They stopped and watched as Esposito walked back to his desk with a coffee in his hand, mumbling to himself. As he sat in his chair and picked up the forms to finish the paperwork on the case he turned to his three partners and said once more, "It's just _wrong_!"

An hour later, all the paperwork done, they left the precinct early for a change. Walking Kate to her car Rick said, "See you at the loft at seven?"

"I'll be there," she replied. "You're sure it's nothing formal? You did say this is a show we're going to see."

Leaning forward he said, "Just be comfortable Kate. Anything you put on is going to look special simply because you're wearing it."

Rolling her eyes at his comment she lightly punched shoulder and opened her car door. "Sure I can't give you a ride?"

He gave a dramatic shudder and said, "No thanks. I'll sit in the back of a nice, comfortable New York taxi."

As she sat in the driver's seat and was about to close the door she said in a sing song voice, "Not gonna happen!" She smiled, closed the door, started the car and drove away, while Rick watched her with a look of wonder on his face.

As he walked to his waiting taxi the thought came to him once again that he really ought to do something nice for the Universe.

A block away from the precinct Kate's phone rang. Seeing it was Martha she answered right away.

"What time are you coming over tonight dear?" Martha asked.

"Rick said to be there by seven," Kate replied. "Why?"

"Oh nothing important, I just thought we could spend a few minutes together before you two kids went out for your date."

"I can be there by six thirty," Kate said.

"Oh that would be wonderful Kate. I so enjoy our times together. See you then."

After a few more words they both disconnected the call and Kate drove to her apartment to freshen up and change for her night out with Rick.

.

.

Kate gave out a hearty laugh. 'I haven't laughed like this except with Rick's family in a long time,' she thought as Martha continued to describe Rick's first date.

"Honestly Kate, he was so nervous! He was always so smooth with the girls at school, he was a very good looking young man, and he could always make the girls swoon…but when he asked her out…"

"Details Martha…I need more details!"

Lowering her voice Martha said, "Well, as I said he was so controlled around the girls, but after a while he wasn't so calm around her, and when he finally gathered up enough courage to ask her out he did so wanting to go out right then and there! Of course she said no."

"She did?"

'Oh yes, and you know what he said?" Kate nodded her head no, she was mesmerized by Martha. "He said, 'Oh good', and stood there smiling."

Kate opened her mouth in amazement, "Shut the front door!"

Giving Kate an odd look, Martha continued, "Ah, yes, well, at any rate seeing the look on her face he had to explain why he said 'oh good', that it wasn't because he didn't want to go out with her but he forgot _he_ was busy that night also. At any rate she finally agreed to go out the following Friday night, and my dear you have no idea how stressful that week was. I swear if I hadn't been there when he was born I would not have admitted he was my son."

Taking a sip of wine she continued, "One thing we all know about Richard is his love of good clothes. I'm partly to blame for that since we had to move around quite often for my career, he never had a large wardrobe, and so for the next five days I was subjected to every combination of every piece of his clothing imaginable."

Kate smiled thinking of a flustered young Rick preparing for his first date. She was reminded of her first date, how nervous she was, how calm her mom was, and how prepared her dad was to scare the tar out of the poor boy. Her smile widened as she recalled how thrilled she was when he held her hand.

Martha was still speaking and Kate concentrated on her words, "…so he bought her popcorn and they watched the movie. After it was over they took a walk to an automobile dealership where he wanted to show her the car he hoped to own one day. As they were walking by the cars all of a sudden two speeding police cars entered the lot, one going to the rear of the building and the other heading right towards Richard and his date."

Kate started to giggle, this was going to be about the best blackmail information she ever had on him. "What happened then?"

"The police officer jumped out of his car with a hand near his gun and told them not to move. The girl was frozen to the spot as he came up and started asking them questions. After a few minutes he realized they weren't there to steal a car and explained that the silent alarm went off inside the building."

Kate was bent over laughing, "Oh Martha, this is too good, what happened then."

Rick's voice came from behind them as he entered the room having changed his clothes, "She wasn't too happy with me, her parents were _really_ unhappy with me and it took a while before I was allowed to take her out again…on a Saturday afternoon…only in the daylight…and away from any car dealerships."

Kate was still laughing as she looked up at him from the couch. "Oh that was priceless. So that was your first date? How come it didn't scar you for life?"

Rick smiled, put his hand on her shoulder and replied, "It wasn't till years later that I finally understood what those events meant..." he paused and she waited for something typically Castle to come out, and she wasn't disappointed. "I realized that somehow, in some unique way I was always destined to be with the police, the universe had already chosen my partner for me, and I just had to deal with a few frogs before I found my princess."

Rolling her eyes Kate stood up to leave on their date, "Really Rick? You're going with that line?"

He shrugged, "Spur of the moment thing, I was in shock when I came out to hear this story being told." Turning to Martha is said, "Have I anything left to hide Mother?"

Martha smirked as she took another sip of wine while Kate said, "I still think that photo of you in your polka-dot diaper was cute." Pulling out her phone she selected Rick's number and his baby photo appeared.

"Mother!"

"Getting up from her chair Martha said, "I'm exhausted. Starting a school is hard work. I believe I'll head upstairs and rest while you kids go out and have a good time."

With those words Martha walked by Rick, patted his arm and headed up the stairs slowly, so she could hear their conversation.

"You're not seriously keeping that on your phone are you?"

Shrugging her shoulders Kate said, "Sure, why not?" Then with a gleam in her eye added, "Lanie thought it was adorable."

Putting his head in his hand he sighed and said, "I can never show my face there again, can I?"

Smiling, Kate put her phone away and headed towards the door humming 'You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby' and adding an extra swish to her hips.

Shaking his head he said, "You're just lucky I'm crazy about you," as he joined her at the door and they left for their date.

As the door closed behind them she said, "Ditto."

Martha turned and came back downstairs with a huge smile on her face. Kate is the perfect addition to the family. Taking out a salad from the refrigerator that she'd made earlier, she sat at the breakfast bar and poured herself another half glass of wine. Taking a sip she thought to herself, 'Hmmm, it's so much fun here with her around, maybe I'll wait a while longer before I move to the new apartment over the school.'

.

.

Exiting the elevator they started walking to the front door when Kate asked, "Why are we heading here? I snuck in the back and I'm parked in the garage. We can bypass the press out there."

Looking at her with a serious expression he answered, "Kate, in order to get them to decide we're not all that news worthy, we have to throw them a bone now and then. Tonight I want to take you to see a show and have dinner, but we need to be _seen_ together on a date, not just at work."

He stopped before they turned the corner by the guard's desk to the front door, where several members of the press waited. "Is this all for show then Rick?" she asked.

"Dear God no Kate. I would never do that. You are too precious for that." He shook his head and said, "I made arrangements for this last month, and because you so publicly showed the world that I am yours…" he grinned at her shining eyes and continued, "I made additional arrangements to help us get there and back without too much fuss and bother. But we still have to give something to the press."

She took a deep breath and said, "Ok Rick. This is where you have the experience and knowledge, tell me what to do."

Surprised once again by the depth of her trust he smiled and softly said, "I am so in love with you, I don't know how you do this to me but I never want it to stop."

Feeling tears fill her eyes, Kate stopped them from falling by saying with a smile, "Richard Castle, if you make me cry and ruin my makeup just before we have our picture taken by the press I will cause you pain!"

He smiled back and said, "Duly noted, Detective. We will walk out arm in arm and smile to the press, let them know we are having dinner and seeing a show then wish them all a good night with a sweet smile."

He paused for a moment as she collected herself and said, "You will do this so well Kate, these guys will be a pushover for you. Just remember not to look ahead but a bit to the side and down or up, to protect your eyes from the flashes. Ready?"

Taking his arm, she looked in his eyes and said, "Ok Rick, compared to a nuclear bomb these guys are pussycats. Let's go."

Arm in arm they proceeded to walk past the guard station, saying hello to Kevin as they passed him by. "Sorry Mr. Castle, Miss Beckett. I kept them away from the door but the sidewalk is another matter."

Giving him a dazzling smile Kate answered, "Thank you Kevin. I know you did all that you can and we really appreciate it." Rick meanwhile noticed that Kevin stood straighter after Kate smiled at him and thought 'well, she conquered another one,' as they headed towards the front door and the waiting press.

Exiting his building they were immediately surrounded by the press who were all calling out to them at once. Kate found she could hardly understand a word as she and Rick continued to walk slowly, forcing the photographers in front of them to keep walking backwards. As he had suggested she simply smiled and held on to his arm, while he said a few words, none of which she was able to hear.

Suddenly the photographers and press parted and Kate was looking at Pyotr who had moved them aside quietly but efficiently, and made a way for Kate and Rick to get to the Town Car parked at the curb.

Standing by the open door was a very tall young man, looking somewhat like Pyotr and somewhat like Paval, who waited until they entered the car before closing the door. Only after Pyotr entered at the driver's door and started the car did the young man leave the back door and get in. As soon as he was sitting down and closing his door the car began to move and the doors were automatically locked.

Rick pressed the intercom button on the panel between the back and front seats to initiate conversation and said, "Thank you Pyotr, I'm hoping this dies down soon."

"Not a problem Mr. Castle, I am only sorry I didn't get there sooner for you and Miss Beckett."

Kate said, "Pyotr, I think you should call me Kate, Miss Beckett seems way too formal."

Pyotr looked in the rear view mirror at Rick and raised his right eyebrow. Rick smiled and said to Kate, "Don't bother, he won't call you Kate while he's driving you anywhere. I've known him for years and he still calls me Mr. Castle, except when he isn't working."

The young man piped up saying, "That's correct Miss Beckett. I've heard Mr. Castle argue and threaten and still Uncles Pyotr and Paval call him Mr. Castle."

Kate noticed that unlike Pyotr or Paval, their nephew had no accent when he spoke. She heard Rick speak to the young man, "How have you been Dmitri, and how is your mother?"

"She's doing very well Mr. Castle, thank you for asking. She and my dad are at the hospital with Uncle Paval."

Kate asked, "Paval is at the hospital? What happened?"

Pyotr answered saying, "Not to worry Miss Beckett, Paval will be a father again, his Maria is in the hospital to give birth."

Dmitri laughed and said, "If Aunt Maria has anything to say about it, this will be the last time he becomes a father."

Kate and Rick chuckled but Pyotr spoke to Dmitri in Russian and said, "When we are working Dmitri, we do not bother our client."

Dmitri immediately stopped speaking and had a contrite look on his face, Rick looked confused, not understanding what Pyotr said; but Kate saw the twinkle in Pyotr's eye as he looked at her in the rearview mirror. He recalled that Kate spoke Russian and she smiled back at him.

In Russian Kate asked, "Pyotr, Dmitri is your sister Yana's son?"

He caught her eyes in the mirror and replied in Russian, "Yes he is. He has some rough spots but we have great hopes for him."

Kate smiled back at Pyotr and noticed that Dmitri was blushing, which only deepened her smile.

Pyotr then asked, "We are going to N.N.B.H. Mr. Castle?"

"Yes," Rick replied.

"Very good. With this evening's traffic, it will take us a little more than half an hour to get there. Champagne and several wines are provided in the back along with something to eat if you are hungry."

Opening the small door directly under the front passenger seat Rick said, "Thank you Pyotr, I see them…oh and you opened them as well! Thank you again."

Pyotr smiled and said, "You are most welcome Mr. Castle. We hope you and Miss Beckett relax and enjoy your evening," then he clicked off the intercom.

Rick turned to Kate and asked, in what he thought was a distinguished British accent, "Would you care for some wine my dear?"

Playing along she said, "Why yes sir, I believe I would like a glass."

With a chuckle, Rick asked what she wanted and she picked a chilled Sauvignon Blanc. Rick poured two glasses, and Kate was impressed to see they were truly crystal, not plastic or cheap glass. They clinked their glasses and Rick made the toast, "To Magic."

She took a sip and said, "To magic, Rick?"

He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I could have said 'To You', they're one and the same."

She blinked her eyes and said, "One and the same? Are you saying I'm magic?"

Rick smiled and leaned towards her, speaking soft and low he said, "Yes. I've known that since I first met you."

They were mere inches apart and Kate could see the love he had for her pouring out from his eyes. As she gazed into them and felt their pull, she knew he was completely hers, and even though there would be times, like earlier today in the car, when she may worry a bit, she never before felt the feeling of security that his blue eyes conveyed whenever he looked at her. If anyone asked her definition of love, she would have to say 'blue eyes; always eyes of blue.'

She leaned forward those last few inches and kissed him. Savoring the feeling of his lips on hers, and feeling that jolt of amazing electricity that she still felt when they kissed. They just get better every time.

She pulled back and opened her eyes, waiting until he opened his and softly said to him, "Love you, you know."

She leaned back in the seat, he put his arm around her and she rested her head against his shoulder. Giving a contented sigh, she looked ahead, the privacy curtain being closed, the glass gave them back their reflection, and she thought how contented she looked. How happy. How loved. It was something she never expected to see and yet now it was her normal. Funny how life worked things out that way.

"Do you want anything to snack on Kate? We should be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Mmmm? No. The wine is enough for now, I can wait till dinner."

"Ok, then we'll stop with this one glass till be get there."

"Rick, what's the name of this place?

"N.N.B.H."

"Why does that sound familiar? Is it some new nightclub or something?"

"No, actually it's been there for about twenty five years now. It's one of those places that if you don't know it exists, then you don't belong there. In a way _it_ finds you, you don't find it."

With a puzzled look on her face, she looked up to him and said, "That makes about as much sense as your alien ninja theory last year."

He looked down at her and replied, "Do you know how cute you are when you do that little thing between your eyes? Odd how it usually happens right after I say something."

Smiling she replied, "Yeah, pretty odd how that works out. So… N.N.B.H.?"

"Nathan Forrester. He made a bundle of money back in the 80's with some web sites he created and sold. Anyway he always wanted to own a restaurant but he also always wanted to own an old time movie theater. And he found them in one place."

"He found a movie theater restaurant?"

"In a way. This is one of those old movie palaces that were built in the nineteen teens and nineteen twenties. He found a ton of old equipment in the basements, it actually has several floors of basements! Anyway there was all that old equipment and all sorts of props since they'd also hold vaudeville shows."

"Sounds interesting."

"Oh it is. I really think you'll love it. You see, when movie palaces started to die out it became a burlesque house and in the seventies, it closed down. He bought it in eighty-four or eighty-five and fixed it up. He found an old gentleman who lived nearby. He worked there in the thirties and had all sorts of stories to tell about it. But the important thing is he was able to teach Nathan how to use all that old equipment he found."

"So he shows movies and has a restaurant nearby?"

"You have to see it to believe it, so I won't tell you any more. But the full name of the theater is 'Murray's Palace Theater', because Nate named it after the man who helped him learn all about the old way of showing movies."

"Rick, that's such a wonderful story, I can't wait to see it."

As the car was slowing down he said with a smile, "I think your wish is Pyotr's command."

The car came to a complete stop, they heard the driver and passenger door open and then Dmitri was opening their door ready to assist them in getting out.

Rick stepped out of the car and soon Kate followed, Dmitri offering her a helping hand, which she gladly accepted. After they stepped away from the car, Dmitri closed their door and went back to the passenger seat as Pyotr said to Rick, "Just give a quick call and we will be here within minutes." He smiled and added, "I am not as interested in another nephew as my wife is."

Rick laughed, as Pyotr returned to the car and drove away; he then took Kate's arm to lead her to the theater; but before walking any further they stopped to look at the old marquis, the flashing lights and the red carpet on the sidewalk. In bold letters were the words 'Murray's Palace Theater' and it wasn't until they reached the front door that she saw the letters N.N.B.H.

As they entered the theater, she was going to ask what that meant when she stopped in her tracks and gasped at how beautiful the lobby was. There were crystal chandeliers, gold and onyx sconces on the wall and all giving a soft, almost cream light. There were beautiful lush carpets on the floor and long red velvet ropes to guide you to the ticket booth, which looked itself like it had just come out of an old movie. The walls were covered in rich, dark wallpaper that looked like silk, and there was an air of elegance about it that you could actually feel.

Kate felt like she had walked into the nineteen thirties and could not stop staring at everything. Then she saw the movie poster on the wall. The movie playing tonight was 'The Thin Man', starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Rick, seeing where her eyes rested whispered in her ear, "And it's in glorious black and white."

She turned to him and he stopped breathing. The smile on her face was unlike any he remembered seeing before. It was closer to the photo she'd shown him when she and her parents made a snowman when she was eleven. There was nothing but pure joy, pure happiness. His throat tightened and he realized he had put that smile on her face. It actually made him feel humble.

Her arm wrapped in his, Kate gave him a squeeze and snuggled closer as the line slowly made their way to the box office. Soon they were there and Kate was thrilled to see the small sign that said it was original to the theater. While reading she heard the young man in the booth speak.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes we do, under the name Cabeckstle."

Looking down at his list and seeing the name, he crossed it off and handed Rick two tickets. "You'll be on the first floor, through the door to your left."

Thanking him Rick took Kate's arm again and started walking to the door, ignoring the look she was giving him.

"Cabeckstle? That was the best you could come up with?" she whispered.

"Hey! I came up with a perfect one, but you don't like it."

"It's morbid Rick."

"It is not! It's perfect!"

"It's even creepier than you staring at me."

Smugly he said, "You're just mad 'cause I thought of it first."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes, my dear, you are."

"People get buried in them Rick!"

"See? That's why it's perfect! You're a homicide detective and I write murder mysteries. What could be better than that?"

As they entered the door and came to a hallway, they saw a sign for the first floor pointing to their left and seeing another couple in front of them, they followed along, still whispering to each other.

"You did it on purpose then, didn't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Cabeckstle. You did that on purpose to make me change my mind about Caskett."

"Would I do something like that?"

"Ok, if that's the way you're going to be…from now one we're the 'Smiths'."

"What?"

"Our reservations will be made under 'Smith' from now on."

"But we can't do that Kate!"

"Why?"

"Because it's so plain! No one looking at you would _ever_ mistake you for a plain old Smith."

They turned the corner and were in front of the door for the first floor when Kate asked, "So you're saying that anyone looking at me will think of a box that holds dead people?"

"Uhh."

"Yes? No? Anything?"

"Um…ahh…lemme work on that."

She smiled, patted him on the shoulder and said, "You do that Rick," as he opened the door for her and they entered the theater.

Once again she stopped and stared. There were no words to describe how ornate, how exquisitely detailed, how nineteen thirties the theater looked. There were boxes on the side walls where people used to sit away from the crowds. Beautiful tapestries hung between them, lending an air of elegance that truly made her feel she was in a palace, and huge chandeliers, dwarfing anything she'd ever seen, hung from the arched ceiling. The floors were tiled, looking like something from an old movie rather than new, and there were no rows of seats.

There were no rows of seats? Where do people sit. Then she saw. Two lush movie seats with a small table in front. They were strategically placed throughout the room, and even though half of them were full, Kate did not hear a cacophony of noise. It was more subdued, almost more genteel, reminding her of an older, slower time. Each table had a beautiful ivory tablecloth, two glasses and napkins that appeared as if they were from the same material as the tablecloth. It looked elegant, and Kate was totally entranced.

As they slowly made their way into the theater Rick asked where she'd like to sit and she saw two open seats to the left, near the wall. With a screen as big as she saw, it looked like every seat was a good seat to view whatever was playing.

As they walked to the table she chose, she noticed there were others nearby, but not too close. There was at least five feet separating each table. Even walking by couples who were obviously talking to each other, it was hard to make out a word. Their voices seemed muffled and Kate was curious to know why.

They sat in their selected seats and a few minutes later a waiter appeared, said his name was Michael, set down two menu's and asked it they wanted anything to drink. They decided to keep with the white wine so Rick ordered a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and then they looked at the menu.

A few minutes later Michael returned with their bottle placed in an ice bucket sitting on a stand that he set near Rick before offering to pour their wine. After pouring, he said he'd give them a few more minutes and went to another table while Rick and Kate talked over the selections.

Without even looking up Kate knew that Rick immediately checked the desserts on the back of the menu. "Oooo, Kate, they make their own popcorn, they don't use that bagged stuff. Oh! And they pour real butter on it too!"

Still looking at her menu Kate answered, "Just what your arteries need Rick, lots of melted butter."

"Hmmm, I really wouldn't know that Kate. Someone took my physical results and won't let me see them. So I have no idea what shape my arteries are in or what my cholesterol numbers are."

Looking up from her menu Kate asked, "You didn't call your doctor and ask?"

He smiled back at her and said, "No. I figure you'll cave one of these days and let me see them."

She smiled as she replied with a comment that was typically them, "In your dreams Castle."

Gazing at her he said in a throaty voice, "Oh you are detective. You most definitely are." He cleared his throat and added, "Nate said the portions are pretty big so we won't need to go to Remy's afterwards."

"Remy's?"

"Yeah, Remy's." At her puzzled look he elaborated, "Remember last year, we were at Drago's and you told me about their tiny portions?"

She smiled and put down the menu, "That's right, I forgot. You and eligible bachelorette number three."

"Amanda Livingston, and you were with that puppy saving fireman."

Kate gave a wicked grin and said with a far away, dreamy voice, "That's right. Mr. July in the 2009 calendar."

"Hey!"

She laughed and said, "He had nothing on you, he was probably among the top ten worst dates I've ever had…he never said anything! He sat there and looked good but he had no personality at all."

"Brad Decker."

"How do you remember their names? I just remembered 'Brad' and 'number three', you know their full names."

"As a writer I watch, I observe and I taught myself to remember details; I take notes and…I was kinda jealous."

A huge grin came on her face as she said, "Really? That is so sweet!" She looked down at the table for moment then back to his eyes and said, "You know, so was I. I asked Lanie to set me up because you were going out with Amanda and I had no one."

"Well I would chalk Amanda up on my top ten worst dates, but because of all the so called dates I've been set up with for publicity, I've had way more than ten." He paused and said with a dramatic shudder and puppy dog eyes, "Kate, they were horrible! Thank you for saving me from any more of them!"

Biting her bottom lip to keep from laughing and fighting a huge smile she replied with another of 'their' words, "Always."

He grinned back at her and picked up his glass, she picked hers up and he gave a toast, "Always and forever us. See? You're magic. Just give in and accept the fact that I'm right."

Eyes twinkling she said, "Ok, just this once. But we'd better go over this menu before Michael comes back. Doesn't the movie start in about an hour?"

Going over the menu one more time they decided on what to eat and informed Michael when he came back to their table. While they were waiting on the appetizers Kate finally remembered to ask, "What does N.N.B.H. stand for?"

With a huge grin Rick replied, "You would never believe it in a million years. It stands for the unofficial name of this place."

He waited a few seconds to give a dramatic pause but Kate said, "No one can deny you're Martha Rogers' son…come on, just tell me."

"But Kate, it requires drama, it requires…" he stopped as he saw the look in her eyes. "Ok, so it doesn't. The initials stand for 'Naughty Nate's Burlesque House', which is actually kinda funny because Nate is anything but naughty. He's the most straight laced, geeky guy I ever met."

Picking up her napkin Kate said, "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that these initials on the napkin, embossed in beautiful calligraphy, stand for something that sounds like a carnival side show?"

"Yes I am. Isn't it cool?"

"No."

"No? But Kate, he's a computer geek. He even looks like one! You know, big glasses, white shirts, loafers; plus he has all the latest gadgets on the market, always has to be the first to get one…and someone like that to call his place Naughty Nate's? It's perfect!"

Kate simply looked at him then sighed, "I started my date with an adult and now I'm with a twelve year old, aren't I?"

Rick chuckled, took a sip of his wine and said, "Well, just for a few minutes, but I'm back now."

Kate rolled her eyes just as Michael came by with their shrimp cocktails and a small basket wrapped in a gingham cloth. Whatever was in the basket smelled heavenly and Kate immediately opened it to find warm, dark bread. She took out a slice, took a bite and gave a small moan of pleasure.

"Oh Rick, you have to try this! It's delicious! What kind of bread is it?" Kate stopped speaking as she took another bite.

Grabbing a piece for himself, he took a bite and said, "Ooo, it's 'Squaw Bread', I haven't had that in ages."

They ate their appetizer and enjoyed the squaw bread while Kate continued to look around. Everywhere she looked she found something new to delight her. "Rick, how high are the ceilings?" she asked.

"They're ninety two feet at the center where those huge chandeliers are hanging. Along with the tapestries, that's what dampens the noise level here." He looked around and said, "You notice that we can't hear other conversations?"

"I noticed that when we came in, the sound seemed muffled."

"Nate spent a fortune making sure his guests had a quiet dinner, but if you look closely, you'll see there are speakers all around, so when the movie starts, there won't be a problem hearing it anywhere you sit."

"I'm guessing this Nate is a friend of yours."

Rick shrugged, "He's a fan and we have some things in common, but we're not friend, friends, if you know what I mean."

Kate nodded and took another sip of wine as Rick continued, "He was trying to get me to come here for years and I finally did shortly before we met."

His eyes twinkled as he said, "Alexis was absolutely thrilled with the place. I should warn you, she's probably, no, make that definitely going to grill you on your first time here."

Not sure what kind of answer she wanted to hear Kate asked, "So have you come here a lot?"

"This is my second time here, I only bring my favorite girls you know."

Kate smiled and reached for Rick's hand, giving it a light squeeze. Just then Michael came up with their food, took away the old dishes and asked if they needed anything else. Rick smiled and said no while Kate started in on her meal. Soon the two of them were enjoying their food, occasionally letting the other take a taste and before they knew it, they were finished and the movie was about to start.

A busboy came to take away their plates and Michael came to ask if they wanted dessert. Kate shook her head no but Rick asked for some popcorn.

The lights dimmed and the previews were starting; Kate was overjoyed to see they were for movies from the same year The Thin Man was made, 1934. She turned to Rick with a big smile on her face and said, "Thank you for bringing me here, I just love it!"

At that moment Michael returned with Rick's popcorn and Kate immediately took a piece, ate it, said, "Wow, that's really good!" and took it for her own.

Rick turned to Michael and said with a straight face, "That was delicious, may I have another?"

Kate giggled, Michael laughed, and soon Rick and Kate were sitting side by side, enjoying their popcorn and 'The Thin Man'.

Shortly into the movie, Kate looked at Rick and noticed his lips were moving along with the dialog. She smiled, remembering how he tricked her with Forbidden Planet a few months ago.

As she continued to watch him her chest began to tighten and her eyes teared up as she realized just how happy she was, and just how much she truly did love Rick Castle.

Putting her hand on his she leaned towards him and softly said, "Rick?"

He turned his head to look at her and she lightly kissed him, pulling back she gazed into his eyes with a sultry look and said, "Best. Date. Ever."

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**Author's Note: First thank you to everyone who has sent such warm reviews for this story and all of you who have marked it Favorite Story, marked me a Favorite Author (blushing), and put Story Alerts here. I truly feel humbled by all the support you have given me. **

**Second, I think an explanation is in order as the chapters aren't coming as fast as I'd like. Is Forever Possible started as a one shot. I did not intend to continue it, so there is no outline (yet…my wife keeps telling me I need one and sooner or later I give in) so I just start writing as something comes to me. I have a basic idea where I want the chapter to go but usually it comes out different than I planned. There are all sorts of things in this chapter that I never dreamed of putting in but seemed to come out of me while I was typing. I do know where I want this story to go though, so have no fear that it is just a cork bobbing in the ocean of my creativity, or lack thereof. Thank you all for sticking with me, I hope you hear from me soon. **

**Lastly, I apologize for this being late, but it isn't my fault. You can blame FanficwriterGHC, it's all her fault. She has a story called "Of Finding Innocence" and for the first time since I met my wife, I have fallen in love…with that story! I've forgotten how many times I've reread it from the beginning to the last chapter posted; I just can't get enough of it. The emotions that her words bring out in the characters and to the reader are exquisite; so that is why this is late. If you haven't read it I strongly suggest you do, right now. Really, leave here and go there. You won't regret it…however, I don't think she'll mind if you leave review here before you go. ;-D RG**


	16. Chapter 16, Realigning Boundaries

Is Forever Possible, Chapter 16, Realigning Boundaries

by RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: Don't own 'em…never will…man that's depressing!

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"Ooooo, it does all that with one button?"

"Rick?"

"Can you make the beep stop so it's silent?"

"Rick."

"I believe you can sir."

"This is so cool! The colors look like neon!"

"Rick!"

"And don't forget the finest leather seats you will find, sir!"

"Oh yeah, and hey! A place for the bubble!"

"Rick!"

"Oh wow! Look at thi…"

"Castle!"

Rick looked over to Kate who had the cutest look on her face. Angry? No, not quite. Upset? Yeah that's what it is. A 1.5 on the Beckett scale. But still cute.

"Yes dear?"

Uh oh, no smile. "Don't 'dear' me. We're supposed to be car shopping for _you_, not me!"

Rick smiled sweetly and said, "But we are looking for me! It's just that you'll be driving it all the time."

Kate smiled at the salesman and said, "Will you give us a few minutes alone please?"

Sensing he was about to lose a very good sale, he smiled and said, "Of course. Please keep in mind though that this model is the best in its class."

Kate simply nodded and turned back to Rick as the salesman slowly walked away.

Rick studied her to see where his plan stood but she had her detective face on. 'Great, she put her detective face on. This isn't working out as well as I thought, but she doesn't seem to…OUCH!'

Kate poked him in the shoulder again, "What do you mean _I'll_ be driving it all the time? I have a perfectly good car thank you!"

"But Kate, this one will be so much better! You'd actually get respect from...uh..." he stopped in the middle of his thought as her eyes narrowed. He looked at the fancy SUV then back to Kate and swallowed.

She couldn't keep up the act and started to smile. "Geez Rick, you are still so easy!"

His eyes widened in surprise at being so easily taken, when she put her arm in his and said, "Come on, I'm hungry and I want you to take me to lunch."

As they were heading towards the door Rick looked back at the SUV and tried once more to get Kate to change her mind. "You know why I never stay in the car when you tell me to? It's uncomfortable! It makes my butt hurt! If you had a really nice car with the softest leather seats and…"

"Might as well quit now, I'm not going to change my mind."

Meanwhile the salesman was sitting at his desk watching them walk away thinking of the lost commission on a $105,000 SUV.

His manager was standing by and said, "Looked like you had him hooked till his wife got involved."

The salesman looked up at his manger and asked, "Do you think they're married? I didn't see a ring."

The manager watched as Rick and Kate were walking towards the door, "Well they sure act like they've been married for years."

Both sighed as the couple walked out the door.

When they reached her Crown Victoria, she looked at him over the car and said, "Remember the first time we went to the Hamptons?"

Rick smiled and said, "How could I forget? The best day of my life!"

"What did I tell you when you wanted to get me one of those FBI vehicles?"

"Hmmm, if you give me a hint it may come back."

"Rick! I said no. I meant it then and I mean it now. I do not want you buying something like that for me. What on earth would I do with a turbo Porsche in New York?"

A big smile came over his face as he said, "I thought the turbo could help you get to crime scenes faster…that way we could spend more time together before you'd have to leave."

"Rick, I have a perfectly good car that gets me where I have to go. And when we go someplace not work related, you have that Escalade Hybrid parked next to the Ferrari."

"But the turbo doesn't get that much less mpg and you'd be able to catch any bad guys out there. Kate, it's a Porsche!" he said as if that explained everything.

"I had no idea they made an SUV, and the answer is still no. Does the phrase 'midtown traffic' sound familiar?"

She opened her door and said, "Now get in, I'm getting even hungrier and we have to be back at the precinct in less than an half hour."

Mumbling how the Universe will not be pleased with her decision, Rick climbed into the passenger's side and immediately complained about the springs in the seat.

"Aww, poor baby." Kate said with a smile. "Want me to have your chair moved so you can stand next to my desk? Anything to help you in your pain."

Rick grumbled to himself that she shouldn't quit her day job.

"I'm heading to Remy's." She said in a business like manner.

Rick took out his phone and pressed the speed dial to place their order. "Hi Keren? It's Rick Castle. What're you working so early for? Oh, well I'd like our regular order to go please."

Kate interrupted, "Make mine a double portion of fries."

"Did you hear that Keren? Ok, yeah I think that's it…"

"Oh, and order a double portion for the boys too."

"Um, Keren? Did you get that too? Ok, we'll be there shortly. Thanks, bye."

He turned to Kate and asked, "What's with the double portions of fries? You're the only one who'll eat them."

Kate rolled her eyes but kept them on the road, "Oh right Castle, so how come you always eat my fries when we eat at the station?"

"Ahh, 'cause you don't?"

They stopped at a light and she turned to face him. "I forgot, I only order them to look at."

"Ok, but why the second double portion?"

"Rick, if you recall, what fries you don't eat, they do. The last time we ate Remy's at my desk I had one fry, Castle. One fry! And I practically had to fight for that."

As the light changed and she started to drive again she said, "I want you to buy enough fries that I get to enjoy them for a change."

When he didn't respond she asked, "Rick? Did you hear what I said?"

When he still didn't answer she looked over to him and saw him madly tapping on his phone, checking out something on the internet.

She was about to say something else when he said, "I could buy a potato farm in Idaho. They make the best fries and you can have all you want!"

Shaking her head she tried hard not to smile. For the past months she'd been with Castle the Partner, Castle the Father, Castle the Boyfriend, Castle the Lover, Castle the Confidant, Castle the Best Friend, Castle the Author, always Castle the Adult…she knew it was only a matter of time till Castle the Nine Year Old made his appearance.

She reached her hand over to his and took the phone away. "Rick, just don't eat all my fries and I'm fine."

He caught her eye at the next stop and said with a smile, "You got it Kate."

She smiled back at him thinking, 'Oh good, the adult is bac…'

"But wouldn't it be cool to have our own brand of potato products? Just think, a bag with the cover art from Naked Heat and the words 'Nikki's Chips' on the front. Yeah! And then in smaller print, 'Do you think you can handle just one?' We could become our own industry, like Paul Newman!"

Kate smiled to herself and continued to drive to Remy's thinking, 'and he said _I_ was a mystery _he'd_ never solve.'

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They were all sitting around Kate's desk, Ryan and Esposito eating their fries and Rick stealing some of hers and she was feeling happy. They had no new case to work on and she and her guys were simply enjoying the time together.

"Paula says it should only be a couple of days, are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Castle asked.

Kate shook her head and answered, "I'm sure. There's enough paperwork to keep me busy and Martha wants to get together again for lunch while you're gone."

Ryan smiled and said, "Uh oh Castle. You're mother and Beckett together for lunch? You are soooo busted!"

Kate smiled while Rick grimaced, "Too late. They've already had a half dozen lunches and I think Mother has adopted her."

He shook his head sadly and said, "I have no more secrets."

Ryan looked at Kate who was wearing a Cheshire cat grin and shook his head.

Lanie walked up to the group and said, "Remy's fries! I could smell them all through the building." She then took a few from Esposito.

Esposito piped in, "Beckett, you telling me you're going to let Castle go to Yale for a reading? Leaving him alone with all those cute young co-eds?"

Castle gave a smug grin at this but Kate only lightly slapped his hand as he reached for another of her fries before answering, "Nope, no problem at all."

When she said that both Ryan and Esposito looked up at her in surprise, "What?" they both said at the same time.

Lanie said, "She doesn't need to. Anyone can see she has him wrapped around her finger."

Everyone turned to look at Castle who had a big grin on his face. "And what a lovely finger to be wrapped around," he said, grabbing another of Kate's fries.

"Remember that big reading and signing he had last month?" Lanie asked. "Well Kate and I went there to surprise him and we found him in the children's section."

Kate added, "_I_ thought it was appropriate."

Rick assumed an injured pose and said, "Hey! That was the only part of the store large enough to take in my fans!"

Lanie rolled her eyes at him and continued, "Anyway, we were watching all these women trying to get his attention when Kate sat down next to him."

She paused to eat another fry and said with a smile, "After that every woman there could have taken off their clothes and he wouldn't have noticed…he only had eyes for Kate."

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other, then at Castle, and said together, "Awwww!"

Kate smiled and threw a napkin at them. "I was ready to shoot any candy that tried to get too close, after shooting him of course."

She looked at Rick and smiled and they got lost in each other's eyes.

"Not again," said Lanie. "Sometimes I wonder how you two ever get any work done."

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other and moved back to their desks, taking Lanie with them. Ryan looked back at the pair and said, "It still surprises me, no matter how many times I see it." He paused a second then added, "They've been dating over three months and were really together all those years before and they act like it's brand new."

Esposito looked at him and said, "Sure 'Honeymilk', you're engaged and you still look at Jenny that way."

"No different than the way you look at Lanie," Ryan replied and received a big grin from Lanie.

As she took a couple more fries from their plate and headed back to the morgue Lanie said, "The minute he stops looking at me like that, there's a body bag with his name on it."

As the elevator doors were closing, she turned back, winked, and blew a kiss to Esposito.

While Ryan and Esposito were fighting over the last fry in their basket, Rick and Kate finally broke eye contact when her phone rang.

"Beckett," she said and a few seconds later a big grin came on her face, "Hey Maddie, what's up?"

Rick leaned forward and said loudly, "Hi Madison."

Rolling her eyes Kate said in the phone, "Rick says 'Hi'…and I already apologized for not telling you right away."

Putting her hand over the phone she said to Rick, "She heard you," and then quickly got back to her friend, "Maddie, you sound like you're going to pop, what's going on?"

Rick leaned closer to Kate to listen in but she waved him away and said, "What? Say that again slowly?" Meanwhile Rick was making little whining noises trying to find out what they were talking about. After a short pause she said, "Wait a second Maddie. Castle, if you don't stop making noises and interrupting while I'm on the phone I will ground you for a week!"

He could hear Maddie laughing over the phone as he said, "Ground me?" At the same time that Esposito and Ryan's heads popped up to hear what was being said.

"Yes, as in for a week I will not let you come to any crime scene." Shaking their heads Ryan and Esposito went back to their paperwork.

"Ok, ok," Castle said, making a zipping motion across his mouth he then mumbled "Zipphing wipps."

Giving him one more look with narrowed eyes she went back to the phone, "Sorry Maddie, now what were you saying? Uh huh. Sure. Sounds good. Oh no problem, Rick will be in New Haven…" Rick pulled a notebook from his jacket pocket and wrote something down then started squirming in his chair again. Kate gave a dramatic sigh and said, "Hold on again Maddie, Ok Rick, what?"

Keeping his mouth firmly closed he held up the note he just wrote, 'I want to know what's going on! Tell me….please?'

Holding the phone to her ear again Kate said, "Maddie you won't…I can't believe…he is just…hold on another second please?"

Moving the phone from her mouth she said to Rick, "Maddie was invited to a special dinner for the leading New York restaurants and their head chefs. She was going to go with Jennifer but that fell through and now she's asking me."

"Wait a minute, isn't Jennifer still the head chef at Q3?"

"Yes."

"And she's not going to go to this special dinner? Why?"

"Not sure, whatever reason she's not and Maddie asked me, now zip it again and I don't want any more notes!" Bringing the phone back to her mouth she said, "Sorry Maddie, go ahead."

While Kate spoke to Maddie, Rick kept writing her notes. 'Do you know how beautiful your eyes are when you get angry?' 'Do you realize I am completely in love with you?' 'Violets are blue and roses are red, when I get you home I want you in…'

Kate grabbed the notebook from his hands and closed it up before anyone could see what he wrote; glaring at him, she finished her conversation with Maddie and hung up the phone.

She turned to say something but he spoke first, "So what kind of present do you want me to bring back from New Haven?"

Shaking her head she asked, "What?"

Speaking slowly he said again, "What kind of present do you want me to bring back from New Haven? When I go away I always bring something back for my girls, till now it's just been Alexis and my mother, now there's you too. So what would you like me to bring back?"

Shaking her head no she started to say, "You don't need to…"

Raising his hand palm outward like a traffic cop he interrupted her saying, "Non-Negotiable. I always bring my girls back a present and I know I'm not going out on a limb when I say you fit that category." Leaning closer he whispered, "And oh how you fit that category detective."

As Kate blushed he leaned back in his chair and said, "So what do you want me to bring you?"

"I don't know Rick. What's New Haven famous for?"

He thought for a bit and said, "Yale? I really don't know, I'll have to check it out." He started to check the internet on his phone while Kate shook her head and went back to her paperwork…after carefully putting his notebook in her purse.

About ten minutes later, without looking up from his phone he asked, "So while I'm in New Haven with all those Yale co-eds tomorrow evening, you're going to be gorging yourself on fancy dishes?" He looked up from his phone at her with a questioning look on his face.

As Kate nodded her head he said, "That sounds like fun. Where's it being held?

"You know? She didn't say. I just have to show up at Q3 tomorrow in a dinner dress. I'm just not sure what to wear."

"Remember that red, off the shoulder one you wore when we were at Drago's? Well _we_ technically weren't there, you were with…and I was…well uh, anyway you looked great in that! It's smart and sophisticated while at the same time extremely sexy. Wear that one."

Rick went back to his phone to check out New Haven while Kate pretended to ponder what he suggested she wear. She was really trying to control the butterflies that were flying in her stomach. Rick was the first guy who ever suggested she look her best when she wasn't going to be with him.

It was not so much he was secure in his own manhood, although heaven knows he certainly was, and it wasn't because he felt over confident in their relationship, as he always said he was amazed she would want him, which was funny because that was the way she felt about him being with her. No, what made the butterflies in her stomach fly with such happiness was simply that he wanted her to always look her best. He was never jealous that other men may look at her, as long as she felt good in what she wore, then he was happy. Never before had she felt that secure with a man. It was quite possibly the most liberating feeling she could have, and he gave it to her.

None of that showed in her eyes however as she calmly said, "You may be right. It's supposed to be something very classy and you always liked that dress."

Without looking up from his phone he said, "That's an understatement, and do remember the shakes at Remy's that night? I think that guy behind the counter put extra ice cream in them 'cause you looked so hot, even though you had changed out of it by then."

Kate simply smiled thinking how only Rick could manage to say how good she looked while remarking how great the milkshakes were in the same breath. Her smiled deepened as she leaned over and softly said, "Isn't Alexis going to be at that retreat with your mother till tomorrow?"

Rick looked up from his phone and said "Yes. Why?"

Her voice became sultry as she answered, "Why don't you head back to the loft and fix something for us to eat. I'll come by after work and help you pack…and let you know how much I'll miss you while you're gone." When she finished speaking her eyes darted to his lips while her tongue moved along hers.

His eyes got wide and suddenly a grimace fell across his face as he leaned towards her and whispered, "Oh you wicked, wicked woman. You said that here? Knowing I can't answer you the way I want?"

Leaning back her hand automatically came up to her hair and started twirling it around her fingers. "You can think about it while you're cooking," she said with a lazy smile.

As he stood up, he mumbled, "Cooking in more ways than one."

He looked over at the boys to say goodnight and saw Ryan and Esposito staring at them with their mouths half open. "Hey, I'll see you guys in a few days. Don't get bored without me." He then waved and walked out the bullpen to the elevator and soon he was gone.

Kate never took her eyes off Castle as he left and then sighing she returned to her paperwork, fingers still twirling her hair.

Ryan turned to Esposito and quietly said, "I'm sorry dude, but that was mom and dad we just watched. It's just not right!"

Esposito shook his head and they both went back to their paperwork.

.

.

The next afternoon Kate was eating lunch with Lanie and the guys, remembering the sad look on Rick's face that morning when the limo Blackpawn arranged from New Haven arrived at the loft to whisk him away for two days of publicity.

"I thought you were having lunch with Martha?" Lanie asked.

"That's tomorrow. She and Alexis are returning from a retreat upstate today." Looking at her watch Kate added, "They should be arriving by 3 or 3:30 this afternoon."

"Going to have dinner with them?"

"Nah, she's going to some shindig for fancy chefs tonight," Esposito said.

"Oh?" Lanie raised her eyebrows, "where's that?"

Kate shrugged her shoulders, "Don't know. I have to meet Maddie at 5:30 this evening at her restaurant." Turning to Esposito she said, "And if there's not enough work to keep you from listening into private conversations, I'm sure the Records department can use some help in their yearly maintenance."

He merely smiled and said, "It couldn't be private, not with Castle jumping up and down in his chair trying to find out what you were saying."

"Not to mention his yelling into your phone to say hello to Madison," Ryan added.

"Ok, right after lunch I'll give Collins in Records a call and let him know he can have two live bodies to help catalog this afternoon…possibly tomorrow too."

Esposito's face blanched as he turned to Ryan and sarcastically said, "Thanks for your help."

Ryan shrugged and replied, "Hey, I don't mind helping in Records. There's some really strange stuff down there."

"Too weird if you ask me."

Ryan smirked and said, "It's better than watching your attempts to get past Castle's score on 'Angry Birds' and trying to stay quiet so no one knows you're doing it."

Kate gave him a quick glance but turned back to Lanie, "Maddie never said yesterday and someone kept interrupting the conversation so I'll find out tonight when I see her."

Lanie smiled and said, "Someone huh? Wonder who that could be?"

Esposito couldn't keep the bark of laughter from coming out. Without turning her head towards him Kate said, "Looking for a transfer to Records Esposito?"

"Uh…hey, is that my phone ringing? I better check it out." Kate and Lanie smiled as he ran out the door to his desk. A few minutes later, having finished lunch they got up from their seats and left the break room.

"See you tomorrow Kate, and I want details of where you're going and what you eat!"

"Lanie, I'm just going there to support a friend, it's nothing earth shattering."

"I know, I know, but I'll probably never get to eat in a real fancy place, so I want to know all about it tomorrow."

"Sure Lanie, I'll even get in early so we can talk over bearclaws and coffee."

"Try and keep them warm this time. I still don't know how Castle does it."

"Neither do I Lanie, neither do I."

.

.

Kate answered the phone and hearing his voice said, "Rick, how do you always manage to call me when I'm in the shower?"

She could hear the grin on his face as he answered, "Jedi mind powers. As much as you deny they exist, I prove you wrong every time."

Looking at her clock she said, "It's 4pm, how come you're not at the signing?"

"I am, if you recall I do get a few breaks from time to time and I couldn't wait to call and hear your voice."

"Honestly, I don't think you could get any cheesier if you tried."

Lowering his voice he said with a sultryness she could feel in her toes, "Oh believe me Kate, thoughts of you can make me cheesier than Wisconsin."

She couldn't help but laugh. His voice intimated he was going to say something very sexy and then he threw in Wisconsin. He could really be adorable.

Speaking in his normal voice he said, "Mission accomplished."

Stifling her laughter she asked, "Mission accomplished? What mission?"

"I knew you'd be worrying about tonight and I wanted you to relax, and take your mind off it for a bit."

"Not worrying too much love, I know what I'm going to wear so all I need to do is stop dripping all over my bedroom and start getting dressed."

She heard the softness in his voice as he whispered, "I love it when you call me that."

She smiled and said, "Just as long as my boyfriend doesn't hear me calling you that. He's a rugged kind of guy you know."

"Oh, you have no idea how…huh? Ok, I'll be right there. Kate, that was Paula and I have to get back. Have fun tonight, just be yourself and drive every man there crazy with frustration knowing you have a "rugged guy" for a boyfriend and that you are definitely off the market."

She laughed and said, "Same goes for you babe. Love you."

"Love you too," he said and before he disconnected the call she heard him say, "I'm coming Paula, hold on!"

Kate smiled and put down the phone and headed back to the bathroom to dry off and get ready.

Forty-five minutes later Kate was getting into a taxi to take her to Q3. Since Maddie hired a limo for the evening, she figured rather than drive herself, she'd take a cab and then the limo would drop her off at home before taking Maddie back to her restaurant.

As the taxi pulled away from the curb, she pulled out her phone and called Maddie to let her know she was on her way. Not getting an answer she left a message and sat back to enjoy the ride.

About ten minutes later her phone rang and it was Maddie. "Hey Maddie, you didn't need to call back, I'm on my way, be there in about twenty minutes."

Maddie interrupted Kate, her voice sounded frenzied, "Oh God Becks, I am going crazy here!"

"What's wrong Maddie?"

"The limo I hired for tonight was in an accident and they have no others available. I've been calling livery companies for the past forty minutes and everyone is booked for tonight!"

"I'm coming by cab Maddie, we can take that to this tasting."

"Thanks Becks, but it won't help. _Everyone_ is arriving by limo, if I drive myself or show up in a taxi it will make Q3 look bad. Folks will think we're not doing good. I _have_ to find a limo and I don't know where else to look!"

Kate was about to speak when she suddenly remembered. "Maddie, I may know of one. Let me call and see if I can get a car for tonight. I'll call you right back, ok?"

"Oh please give them a call! You'll be saving my reputation _and_ my restaurant."

Kate disconnected the call and looked in her purse. There in among her credit cards was a simple ivory business card with the letters P.Y.P in bold font. Underneath was a telephone number and Kate called it.

On the second ring a young girls voice answered saying, "This is P.Y.P. is this Mr. Castle?"

Kate said, "Um, no, this is Kate Beckett, I was given this card by Pyotr."

"Oh hello Miss Beckett," the girl replied in a bubbly voice, "My name is Tatiana and my brother Dmitri told me all about meeting you. He says you are very beautiful and a police detective. It's nice to finally speak to you."

Feeling a bit awkward by the compliment Kate replied, "Thank you Tatiana. I enjoyed meeting your brother." She paused a moment then asked, "I'm just curious Tatiana, why did you think it was Mr. Castle calling?"

"This is a private number that only he has, but I asked in case it was Ms. Rogers, Alexis or you calling."

"Me?" Kate said in a small voice.

"Uncle Pyotr said you are family, and mama added you to the list. Are you calling for a car?"

"Ah, yes, I mean, if one is available that is. I realize this is short notice and all your cars are probably booked."

"Well yes, but there is always a car available for you. Let me get mama on the phone."

Before Kate could say another word, she heard the phone being put down and Tatiana calling her mother. A few seconds later a woman's voice said, "Miss Beckett?"

"Yes, is this Yana?"

"Yes I am. It is so nice to finally speak with you. My brothers and my son speak very highly of you."

Kate blushed at the compliments that were coming her way. "Thank you. I must say I was very impressed with Dmitri. He was very professional and I could see that Pyotr was proud of him."

Kate could hear the smile and pride in Yana's voice as she replied, "Thank you. He tries very hard to be professional."

Kate chuckled and said, "Well he certainly was. I tried to get them to call me Kate but they both refused."

"Men!" Yana said with a touch of humor and love. "Luckily we are women and are more than professional, we are practical. So I shall call you Kate and you shall call me Yana and we will laugh at their pretentions when they are not looking."

Kate had to smile. Yana could not be more than ten years older than her and yet here she was acting like the Matriarch of a large Russian family…and evidently she and Rick were part of Yana's family.

"I like that idea very much Yana," Kate said with a warm smile. "I think we will have a lot to laugh about."

Yana chuckled at that but then said in a stern manner, "And so, to practical matters. Where do you want the car to pick you up?"

"Are you sure this isn't too short notice Yana? I don't want you to lose any jobs because of me."

"Kate, since you called the private number I know you received the card I sent you."

Kate said, "Yes I did." She recalled when it came in the mail.

_A few weeks ago, she and Rick arrived at her apartment and she took her mail out of the box. When they entered her place, she went through the mail and along with the bills and requests to sell a time-share she didn't own was an envelope hand addressed to her with the return address of P.Y.P and a PO Box number. Thinking it was just junk mail she was going to toss it in the trash when Rick said, "Oh no Kate. That's something you want to open."_

_When she did she saw the business card and a short note telling her to remember to call them whenever she needed transportation anywhere._

_Holding up the card she asked, "What's this Rick?"_

"_It's the limousine service that I use all the time. They sent you a card so you have their number when you need a limo." He smiled at her with pride and love and said, "I think that present you sent to Paval and Maria made quite an impression."_

Returning to the present she heard Yana say, "Well since you have the card you should not ask silly questions. Where do you want the car?"

"Do you know where Q3 is?" Kate asked.

"Yes, some of our clients go there quite often. Is this where you want the car?"

"Yes."

"It will take about thirty minutes for the car to arrive."

"Thank you Yana, my friend Madison and I appreciate this very much."

"Not a problem. I hope you enjoy your evening with your friend." After a brief pause she added, "Oh and Kate? It was nice to finally speak with you; I look forward to meeting you at the party."

"Thank you Yana, I feel the same."

"Goodbye for now Kate," she said in Russian.

"Goodbye for now Yana," Kate replied in the same language and they disconnected the calls.

Kate sat for a moment just thinking about what happened. She had a private number for the most requested limousine service in New York and got a car in literally a moments notice. She never thought in her wildest dreams that something like that would happen to her. Martha was so right when she said Rick's world was different from anything she ever experienced before.

Ending her musings, she called Madison back and told her that a limo would be there in about thirty minutes and that she was only ten minutes or so away.

After those few words, Kate never got in another one as Madison just gushed, "You got a limo? How did you…I don't care how you did it Becks, but you are a true life saver! About thirty minutes you said, oh God, I look a mess. When you get here I'll be in my office!"

Then the call disconnected and Kate simply smiled, put her phone away, and relaxed for the rest of the trip.

Thirty minutes later, she was standing in front of Q3 with Maddie when a stretch limo pulled up. The drivers' door opened and Pavel stepped out then walked around to open the rear passenger door for them.

When the car pulled up Maddie said, "Becks! Is that for us?" When Kate nodded yes she said, "How the heck did you manage to get a stretch? When I arranged my car last month I was told none were available anywhere in the city for tonight."

Not quite sure how to respond Kate fell back on one of Rick's favorite sayings, "Let's just say I know a guy."

Maddie laughed and took Kate's arm as they walked to the car. When they arrived Pavel said, "Good evening Miss Beckett, it's good to see you again." Turning to Madison he said, "Are you Miss Queller?"

When Madison replied yes he said, "I have had the pleasure of driving many people to your restaurant and every one could not stop talking how wonderful the meal was."

"Why thank you very much," Madison beamed. "It's always a pleasure to hear nice reviews."

Paval held the door until they both entered the car then closed it softly. After he sat back in the drivers' seat, he looked in the mirror and said, "Miss Beckett, where do you wish to go?"

"Oh, I don't know Paval." Turning to Maddie she asked, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to Chez Jean," Madison said. "Do you need the address?"

"No thank you Miss Queller, I know exactly where it is. It should take us about twenty minutes to get there from here, please feel free to enjoy the refreshments provided." With that, he pressed a button and the privacy window rose from the seat and a curtain closed off the view.

When Kate heard where they were going she started to worry. She hadn't told Maddie that she'd been to Chez Jean, not once but three times. It seems to be one of Martha's favorite places to eat and Kate couldn't blame her really. The atmosphere, the food and the people were wonderful, and Kate thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent there.

It's just that other than Martha, Alexis and Rick, no one else knows she's been there more than once. To her it would feel too much like bragging to say she's been to the most exclusive restaurant in New York three times in the past two months.

While Kate was thinking, she heard Maddie go on and on about how excited she was to be going to Chez Jean. She has been trying to get in now for a while and her own private reservation isn't for another three weeks yet.

She never noticed how quiet Kate was, she just kept on talking about finally meeting Jean, Without realizing it Kate responded to Maddie's rhetorical question of "…only seen him in photos but he looks so handsome, I wonder if he's married?"

"No he's not. As a matter of fact he and his girlfriend broke up last month, he's not seeing anyone now."

Madison stopped in mid-word and turned to Kate and said, "What? How do you know that?"

"Um…well…hey look at this, the wine bottles are already opened, want a glass?" Without waiting for an answer, Kate poured them both a glass of wine, taking a sip and trying to keep from looking at Madison.

Deciding to change the subject Kate asked, "How come you asked me to this tasting? I thought you'd go with Jennifer or your boyfriend…" Kate let the sentence die, as she could not remember the name of Maddie's latest boyfriend.

Luckily, she didn't need to remember as Maddie answered, "Jennifer is already there. All the head chef's are presenting their best creations and each will be a separate part of the entire meal. We didn't want to plan anything too elaborate so she's creating her oven roasted pork belly glaze. She won an award for that you know."

"No I didn't, that must have made you proud and given a lot of publicity for Q3."

"Oh you can bet it did, but that also ended my relationship with Don."

"How did good publicity do that?" Kate asked.

"He couldn't understand why I had the hours I did. When he got off from work he expected me to be there for him, but he couldn't be there for me when I was free."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I know what you mean though, it can be tough."

"Yeah," Maddie said quietly. "Whatever you do, don't ever date a doctor if you have crazy hours." A few seconds later she said, "What am I saying! Of course you know, you dated a doctor too."

Turning towards Kate she punched her lightly on the shoulder saying, "I'm still not happy that I had to find out you were dating Castle in the newspaper! It's not like I could have stolen him from you or anything!"

Seeing the blush on Kate's face, she gave a wicked smile and said, "So how's the work on those Castle babies coming along?"

Kate choked on wine and said, "Maddie!"

"Well, I'm just asking, but from your reaction I'd say it's going pretty well."

She watched Kate's blush deepen and then asked, "Seriously though, I expected you guys to be together a year ago, but you ended up with that doctor. What happened?"

"Maddie, I don't think we have time…"

Looking at her watch Maddie said, "We should have about ten minutes till we get there, it's going to take you longer than that to explain?"

Taking a deep breath Kate answered, "No. Ok, when I first met Castle I was a big fan…" Maddie interrupted saying, "That's an understatement! I stood in line with you for over two hours so he could sign your book and all you could say to him was your name!"

"Maddie!"

"Just agreeing with you Becks. So go on."

"Ok, so when I first met him I was a fan but didn't want him to know, but by the end of my first hour with him I didn't ever want to see him again. He was arrogant, egotistical, and pompous; you name it, he acted it. But after a while that changed. He could still act that way, but he was more adult, more helpful, and I got to see the side of him that was a father and a son, and that is so opposite of what his publicity says."

She took another sip of her wine and continued, "Basically we both messed up. I told you about my apartment, well I stayed with the Castles in the guest room till I found the new one. A few weeks after that we had the case of Bobby Mann."

"Oh my parents loved his show. Remember when we thought it was cool to stay up late to watch him?"

Remembering those times with Maddie Kate said, "Yeah, it was fun…anyway Castle was on the show the night Mann was murdered, and so was some bimbo actress who decided that to get the part of Nikki Heat she had to sleep with Castle."

"Oh no."

"Oh yes. My feelings for him had been growing and I was beginning to think that perhaps he could be more than just the guy who follows me around at work. We were becoming closer. I knew he had strong feelings for me, can you believe he burst through my door when the apartment exploded? I actually owe my life to him several times over."

"Wow Becks, I had no idea."

"Like I said, I was starting to feel more for him when he slept with her. Now all my insecurities came back, he was just following me for his own selfish pleasure. If I gave in to him, he would drop me in a second and go on to the next conquest. And then I met Tom."

"Tom? Who's Tom?"

"Tom Demming, a real nice guy, a robbery detective in the 12th, and there was a kind of connection between us. Not much, but I wanted to get my feelings away from Castle so I locked on to him. That's when you and I hooked up again when Balthazar Wolf was murdered. Tom had asked me for a date and we ended up eating at the precinct with candle light. It was actually kind of sweet."

"So what happened? How did you two mess up?"

"Castle messed up by sleeping with the actress and I messed up by thinking that Tom was anything other than a distraction. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy, but there was never really much of a connection. I tried to force things to get my mind off Castle. Then a few weeks later Castle asked me to the Hamptons for some R&R, he promised no funny business. I thought it would be great till I realized I didn't want to have him break my heart…and I already promised Tom we would go to a beach house for the weekend."

Kate was lost in thought reliving those days when Maddie touched her arm and softly asked, "So what happened then?"

"Rick caught me in the lie. He was hurt and I saw that in his eyes but he quickly recovered. Maddie, he is definitely the son of an actress, he is quick to hide his feelings, but sometimes not quick enough. He said the case we were on would be our last case and I was devastated. I didn't want to lose him. I broke up with Tom to go with Rick to the Hamptons but it was too late, he'd gotten back with his ex wife and left for the summer."

"So that's what happened last summer. You didn't want to go anywhere or do anything; you just worked all the time."

Kate was looking into her glass, watching the wine move around from the vibrations of the car, she took another sip and said, "He never called once that whole time he was gone. But honestly Maddie, I never called him either. I was just afraid that when I did she would answer. When he came back old feelings returned, he was still with Gina and I had no one. I felt so pathetic and one day while riding my Harley I met Josh, who also rode a bike. He turned out to be another mistake and I stayed with him far longer than I should have. I gave him too many second chances because I was afraid Rick didn't really want me. Then a few weeks after I broke up with Josh, Rick and I had the conversation which you already know."

"I don't know Becks, but maybe it worked out the right way for you both. Sounds like neither one of you were really ready to commit to the other. Maybe he had some more growing up to do and you needed to know that no one else was as good for you as him."

Kate raised her head and looked at Maddie. "Maybe you're right, I didn't know it then but I do now…Rick Castle isn't perfect, but he _is_ perfect for me."

"From the looks of you, he sure seems to be. I haven't seen you this happy in a long, long time Becks. I really am happy for you."

"Thanks Maddie. I know I've said it before but I'm really glad we reconnected. I didn't know how much I missed you till I saw you again."

Madison smiled and started to speak when the car slowed to a halt. Soon they heard the front door open and shortly afterwards the passenger door opened to a mass of lights, people, photographers, fans, and Paval, standing by the door keeping an eye on the crowd.

Kate got out of the car and Madison followed. Madison was all excited looking at the red carpet and television cameras but she heard Kate speaking in Russian.

"Thank you Paval. I do not know when we will be done here. Is that an inconvenience?"

Paval spoke to Kate in Russian as well, "No Miss Beckett. Remember what Yana said. There is no inconvenience for family."

Kate smiled and thanked him but he continued, "Miss Beckett…Kate…Maria and I thank you so much for the gift. I know Ivan will appreciate it when he is older. We have no other words to say. We never expected anything…"

Kate interrupted him and put her hand on his arm, "Paval! Remember what Yana said. This is a thing families do. Am I right?"

Paval smiled and said, "Yes, you are right."

Kate smiled at him and simply said, "Well then."

Paval gave a little bow and smiled saying, "Have a nice night Miss Beckett. Let Jacques know when you want to go home." He then closed the passenger door and walked back the driver's side.

As he turned away, Madison saw something she missed earlier, on the side of his jacket on the right shoulder was a small emblem sewn on. The initials were P.Y.P.

As Paval drove away, she asked Kate, "You got a car from P.Y.P.? Becks, how did you do that? They're exclusive for diplomats only! No one can hire them!"

Still not sure how to respond Kate simply said, "Ah…so Maddie, do you recognize anyone here?"

Maddie gave Kate a strange look but then searched the crowd heading towards the door. "No one really famous out here, they may be inside. But they are all my competition."

As Kate and Maddie made their way up the carpet to the door she heard a few photographers say, "That's Nikki Heat, or That's Detective Beckett," and a few more flashes came their way. Halfway to the door they were met by a reporter with a camera crew, who interviewed Maddie about her restaurant; and Maddie made sure to get in some good plugs for Q3.

However when she finished with Maddie, the reporter turned to Kate and asked her where Castle was and why she wasn't with him. Kate replied quickly that he was at a book signing and she and Madison had been friends since high school. Then she told them what a wonderful restaurant Q3 was and said they really should check it out for themselves.

Maddie had a grin on her face as Kate took her arm and hurried towards the door. Soon they were standing in line waiting to get in. At the door stood Jacques, looking like an old world major domo and fully in control of the situation. Even though his hair was grey around his temples, at almost six feet two inches tall, he was a commanding presence at the door.

As each person came up to him, he requested they show him their invitation. No matter who it was he made a point of looking it over carefully to make sure it wasn't a forgery. So many people wanted to get into Chez Jean that he had to be especially careful today.

Maddie watched this as they slowly made their way to the door, her invitation grasped in her hand like a life preserver. Kate could tell she was nervous and was surprised, as Maddie was part of this restaurant scene.

They were third in line when Jacques looked up, saw Kate and smiled. "Miss Beckett! It's so nice to see you again." Asking those in front of her to move aside he said, "You know you never need to stand in line," and beckoned her forward.

Maddie's eyes were huge as she looked at Kate, and the others in line gave her jealous looks as Jacques took her hand and led her to the door. "I hope you don't mind as there is a special function tonight, but your table is always ready for you," he said still smiling.

Maddie's eyes got even bigger if that was possible as Kate said, "Thank you Jacques, but I'm here to support my friend Madison Queller from Q3." Pointing to Madison's hand she added, "You can see her invitation in her hand there."

Madison started to raise her hand to show him her invitation but Jacques smiled and said, "As long as she is with you I don't need to see the invitation. Please go on inside, Jean will be very happy to see you again," and with that he gently pushed her into the door and then turned to the line of people waiting to get in.

As they entered the restaurant Madison turned to Kate and said, "Becks…"

"Later Maddie. It's…complicated. Way too complicated to explain here."

Madison didn't seem to want to let it go but they were entering the main dining room and Madison couldn't stop staring. Kate already knew what to expect, but relived her first impressions of Chez Jean through Maddie's eyes. She could not stop staring and even though she'd been here three times, Kate still stopped to look at some things she hadn't noticed before.

Suddenly a man was by Maddie's side, asking her name and what restaurant she represented. Kate turned to look and when he saw her he said, "Miss Beckett! What a pleasure to see you again. I'll get some glasses set up at your table immediately."

Smiling Kate said, "You don't need to do that Paul. I'm here tonight as a guest of Madison Queller from Q3. We can sit where you assigned us."

She was actually beginning to get tired of repeating herself. This night was for her friend Madison and her restaurant Q3, yet all the attention seemed to be directed towards Kate.

While she was thinking this Kate heard Maddie's voice happily say, "Rocco! I knew you'd be here. What specialty are you presenting tonight?"

"I had several choices but decided on my black truffle Risotto and crispy shrimp. What about you, what's Q3 going to dazzle us with tonight?"

"Jennifer and I decided on her oven roasted pork belly glaze. It really has become a favorite at the restaurant." She smiled and added, "I have to tell you I am thrilled that you are doing your Risotto. When I was at your place last year I thought it was out of this world delicious."

Rocco smiled as Kate said, "I remember Rick talking about how great it was at the precinct that evening. He was pretty upset when I took you both away from the tasting."

With a twinkle in her eye Maddie said, "Don't remind me. Suspect, remember?"

Meanwhile Rocco was looking at the two of them and said, "Are you talking about Rick Castle?" When they both nodded he looked confused. He pointed to Kate and said, "Aren't you Detective Beckett, the inspiration for Nikki Heat and according to the papers, his girlfriend?"

Kate sighed, nodded her head and said, "Yes."

He then turned to Madison and said, "But weren't you with him at my tasting? Of course you were, I spoke to him about killing off Derrick Storm."

Madison nodded her head and saw the puzzled look on his face deepen.

He pointed to Madison and said, "You were with him last year," then pointing to Kate he said, "and you are with him this year…so do you two perhaps…ah…share?"

The two women looked at each other and started to giggle, Kate was about to speak when Rocco said, "I don't think I really want to know."

Before Kate could say a word Madison said, "Rocco, he was with Kate back then, she let me borrow him for the evening."

The confusion clearing from his face Rocco smiled and said, "Oh, ok. That makes sense." Then looking over Madison's shoulder he said, "Excuse me, but Wolfgang just came in and I need to talk to him." Looking back at Madison over his shoulder as he walked away he said, "I'm looking forward to Jennifer's pork," then turned around and called out, "Wolfgang…"

Madison turned back to Kate but before she could say anything Paul cleared his throat and said, "Miss Queller's table is over here," and led them about twenty feet to their table.

Madison looked at the other names on the table and nodded. They were all people she knew and got along with. She wouldn't call them friends, but there was no animosity as there was with some other owners. The restaurant business was pretty cutthroat in New York, and some people didn't want to play by the rules.

As Madison sat down she couldn't help but notice that Paul held the chair for Kate. She was puzzled and she was intrigued. Here was Kate Beckett, a police detective, who the last time they had gotten together, did not run around in high society. And yet today she was not only able to arrange a limousine with the most exclusive livery service in the city, but the driver knew her!

And now at Chez Jean. Madison knew that Q3 is one of the hottest restaurants in the city, she has a waiting list almost two months long, but even she hasn't been able to get into Chez Jean's yet. His waiting list was over _six_ months long. And yet Kate is not only known here, she was told she didn't have to stand in line and she has her own table?

Sneaking a glance at her friend Madison also noted how Kate was dressed. She looked fantastic; and if the glances she was getting from the men in the room were any indication, they thought so too. And yet Kate seemed to almost be at home here, in these exclusive surroundings.

Last year, when she first came to eat at Q3 she acted as if she felt she didn't belong, like she was out of place. You could tell she was self conscious, out of her comfort zone. But now, she seemed to fit in better than Madison did, and she has been moving in these circles for almost ten years.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when someone called out, "Kate! I didn't know you'd be here tonight!"

Looking up, Madison noticed a tall, well built and well dressed man approach. He had sandy blonde hair with striking light blue eyes and a positively beautiful smile. Madison found herself sitting up straighter as he came to their table. What she heard next shocked her.

"Hello Jean. I didn't know I was coming myself till about forty minutes ago."

'Jean?' Madison thought. 'Is this Jean dePer, owner of Chez Jean and Chez Rick's in Paris?'

She watched as the handsome man came up to Kate and as she rose from her seat, he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Why is it you women never tell me when you're coming? I have to rely on Paul telling me when you show up." He said in mock consternation.

Kate simply laughed and mimicked Martha by saying, "Because you always make such a fuss. And besides if we did then your head waiter wouldn't be surprised when we arrive, and you like him to stay on his toes." Kate looked over Jean's shoulder at Paul who gave a pretend frown then smiled and hurried off to meet some other chef's and owners.

Jean gave a sigh, looked sad and said, "I'm not going to win this argument am I?"

Still smiling Kate replied, "Nope. Might as well stop now and simply accept it."

Suddenly he smiled and said, "Well you came on a great night. There will be some wonderful dishes to sample from the best restaurants in the city." Leaning forward a bit he said in a stage whisper, "You should smell the pork cooking in the kitchen, it smells delicious."

Seeing that as her opening, and noticing that Maddie was about to jump out of her chair, Kate said, "Well Jean then I should introduce you to the person responsible for that delicious smell," turning to Maddie she said, "Jean, I want to introduce you to my good friend since high school, Madison Queller, the owner of Q3."

As Madison stood up and offered her hand Kate continued, "Madison, this is Jean dePer, the owner and head chef of Chez Jean."

She stepped back as Jean took Madison's hand, bowed over it and said how pleased he was to meet such a talented and beautiful woman.

As she watched the two interact, she smiled thinking that Jean did remind her of a younger Rick Castle. She understood why the two men got along so well together, they were so much alike, both having a childlike innocence about them at times.

She watched her friend as she lowered her eyes at something Jean said, and then the easy smile and laughter from him when she said something. She remembered Rick telling her that the retired Swedish Colonel Jean worked for had spent years during WWII, in Korea and Vietnam with the American military, liked them very much and picked up many American customs. Evidently, that easygoing manner was passed on to Jean.

It always tickled Kate that his real name was Johan Persson, that Johan was Swedish for John and Jean was the French equivalent. She watched as Jean dePer, or John from the house of Per charmed Madison and was pleased to see that he was charmed by her.

It seemed he would stay there all night but Paul came up, whispered in his ear and he had to leave for his other host duties, but he promised he would be back…and he was looking at Madison when he said that.

As Madison sat down Kate smiled at her and said, "Yes?"

Maddie looked up and said, "Wow Becks, he was not what I expected at all."

"No?"

"No. He's…I don't know…"

Kate said, "Charming?"

"Oh yes."

"Sophisticated?"

"Yes."

"Dashing?"

"Oh yes."

"Good looking?"

Madison barked a laugh and said, "Hell Becks, he's gorgeous. Did you see those eyes? And his hair? I just wanted to put my fingers through it and straighten out where it looked mussed."

Kate smiled and looked over to see Jean talking with Paul and saw that he was looking at Maddie with a slight smile on his face. Without moving her lips she said, "He's checking you out you know."

"He is?" Maddie all but squealed and then blushed deeply. "God Becks, I haven't felt like this for a guy since high school. Geez, I hope he's not married, or gay."

Kate smiled and said, "Remember in the limo, I told you he broke up with his girlfriend last month. He is definitely single."

A big smile came on Maddie's face and she said, "Well, maybe that can be changed…" she paused a moment and said, "Wait a minute Becks. How do you know that? How do you know Jean? The head waiter said 'your' table was ready, and the guy at the door, Jacques I think, said you don't ever have to stand in line."

Before Kate could respond she added, "And you got a stretch limo from the most exclusive and private service in the city in just a few minutes…and the driver knows you!"

Kate opened her mouth to speak but Maddie was on a roll, "Last year you felt and acted like a fish out of water just sitting in my restaurant with me, and here you are all cozy and comfortable with the most exclusive New York has to offer. What's going on?"

Kate paused a moment to collect her thoughts. Until Maddie said it, Kate hadn't realized what occurred this evening. True, she did feel nervous when she called P.Y.P., but only because she didn't think they'd have a car or would possibly lose money by getting one for her. She actually enjoyed talking to Yana and looked forward to meeting her at the christening party for little Ivan. She was touched and humbled that the invitation came to _her_, for herself, and not to Rick and her as a couple.

And here at Chez Jean she felt comfortable, there was none of the awkwardness she felt when she first came. She realized that she felt the same level of comfort, that feeling of belonging at the other restaurants she's visited with Martha and Rick. Two months ago she'd have been scared to death of being in a place like Chez Jean, knowing that she didn't fit in, but here she was joking with the owner and head waiter as if she'd been doing it all her life.

"Welcome to our world," Martha said to her, it felt so long ago, was it really only around three months? "Welcome to our world"…and suddenly Kate realized, it was becoming her world too.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: Rick has proven over the years that he can fit into her world, but from the show I get the feeling that Kate doesn't think she can fit into his, as her line in S3E1 telling him to go back to 'his' Hamptons showed. What a surprise for her then to find that the boundaries she's used to define herself have shifted. Sometimes growing is a subtle thing.**

**Now I have to say that I am absolutely flabbergasted at the response this story is getting from all of you…and from so many countries! Just the other day a person from Hungary marked IFP as a favorite story. Honestly, it's kinda neat and kinda scary how small the world is getting. Putting aside my homespun philosophy, I thank you all very much for your reviews and comments.**


	17. Chapter 17, What the heart wants

Is Forever Possible

Chapter 17, The heart wants what the heart wants

by RGoodfellow64

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**Disclaimer: Other than the AU story line, nothing here is mine…and I had such hopes with the Lotto ticket.**

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The phone rang and she picked it up on the first ring. "Beckett! Oh hi Martha."

She was quiet for a few seconds, listening to what Martha said. "What? Now? Can't it wait?"

A few more seconds of silence as Kate ran her fingers through her hair. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Tradition?" There was another brief pause and then she said with a smile, "Oh now that's just not fair using Alexis like that!"

A few more seconds of silence then, "But Martha."

Finally Kate gave a big sigh, ran her hand through her hair and said, "Ok Martha, I'm leaving now, but I want a list of all these 'Castle Family Traditions' before I leave tonight!"

Martha evidently said something as Kate pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it as if it had two heads. Putting it back to her ear she said, "What do you mean, ongoing?"

Evidently, Martha said something else as Kate smiled and said, "Ok, leaving now. Right. Bye."

She was already shutting down her pc and reaching for her purse when she hung up the phone.

"Yo! Beckett, leaving early?"

Grabbing her purse from the bottom drawer, she turned off the monitor, shut the drawer and stood up to lock the desk. "Uh huh, you guys can leave when you want."

"You're leaving for the day?" Ryan asked. "It's only 4."

"Yeah, you had that lunch with Castle's mom and you were gone over an hour…and now you're leaving an hour early?" Esposito said with a smirk.

"Does this have to do with _someone_ being gone for almost two days?" Ryan added.

Reaching into his pocket and pulling out some bills, Esposito turned his head to his partner and said, "Twenty says she's really leaving for a hot date."

Walking past his desk to the elevator Beckett grabbed the twenty out of his hand and said, "Wrong, family dinner with Martha and Alexis."

"Hey! I was betting with Ryan!"

As the elevator doors opened Kate looked back and sang, "Thanks for the lunch money," then turned and saw Lanie standing in the doorway who asked, "Where are you going?"

As she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor Kate replied, "To the Loft, Rick will be home in about a half hour with our presents and wants us all there."

Lanie looked puzzled, "Wait a minute, it's only a little after 4, you didn't expect him back till after 7 tonight."

"Martha called, he took a helicopter from New Haven back to New York to get here quicker and miss all the traffic. It seems that there's a time limit on his present so Martha, Alexis and I are supposed to meet him when he gets back."

Looking even more puzzled Lanie said, "Come again?"

They arrived at the ground floor and Kate sighed, "I don't even pretend to understand it Lanie, according to Martha it's a Castle family tradition."

"Oooo, family! Girl you are so going to fill me in tomorrow!"

Waving her hand behind her Kate said, "Bye Lanie," then realizing she was waving the twenty-dollar bill, she turned around and said, "Lunch tomorrow? Esposito's buying."

At Lanie's enthusiastic nod she smiled and headed towards the parking garage, wondering what on earth Rick bought that had a time expiration on it.

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"Pizza?"

"Yep."

"Seriously, pizza?"

"Two kinds."

"And he hired a helicopter to bring them back warm?"

"Uh huh."

"You're totally serious?"

Taking a sip of her coffee Kate said, "Totally."

Lanie sat wondering what ever possessed Castle to bring back pizza from New Haven. Taking a bite of her bear claw she said, "How does he manage to keep them warm, this is cold already."

"I gave up trying to figure it out, but I did tell him to bring an extra one later for you."

Reaching over to pat Kate's hand Lanie said, "Kate, you're a true friend. Now explain about the pizzas."

"His book signing at Yale ended around 6pm Wednesday evening and as he and Paula were wondering where they should eat, some of the students told them about two Pizza places on…wait a sec, I wrote it down."

Kate looked in her purse and picked out a piece of paper with several lines written on it. "They're on Wooster St. in New Haven. Evidently there are a lot of good Italian restaurants on that street."

"And he brought you a pizza?"

"Two, one from a place called Pepe's and the other from Sally's. Evidently people from all over the world come to New Haven just for their pizza."

"You're serious?"

"Lanie."

"Well, come on Kate, we have Authentic Nick's and Terrific Nick's here in New York. What's so special about New Haven?"

"Not to mention all the other Nick's out there, but I do have to say, they were about the best I ever tasted."

"Really?"

"According to Paula, who refused to stand in line for pizza and ate in a restaurant across the street, he was in line for a little over an hour for Pepe's and then stood in line for another hour for Sally's. Then he made arrangements for their most popular pizzas to be baked before they opened, and even bought a special carrier that's guaranteed to keep them tasting fresh for up to eight hours."

"Wait a minute, you're telling me that Richard Castle, who can't sit still for more than a minute stood in line for over an hour for a pizza?"

Kate smiled and said, "Mmmm hmmm, I wish someone filmed it, but Paula had a window seat and watched the whole thing. Evidently some of the people in line were from Yale and met him at the signing…and you know how he is with his fans."

"Mutual admiration society."

"Oh yeah. He said he learned a lot talking to the people and even learned how to say pizza the proper way in New Haven."

Lanie finished her bear claw and said, "What's to pronounce? It's called pizza."

"Not in New Haven," reaching into her purse she pulled out another piece of paper. "Here's a menu."

"Apizza? They call it A pizza?"

"Nope, he was very smug about knowing this till Martha explained it to me. It's pronounced 'ah beets'."

"Huh?"

"He had that little boy 'I know something you don't know' look on his face till Martha told us. Seems she's performed in New Haven and enjoys the pizza from Sally's."

"Ha! I bet that burst his bubble."

"Oh he pouted for a bit but then Alexis and I gave him a kiss on his cheeks at the same time and he was bouncing in his seat again."

"I can sure believe that!"

"Huh?"

"Kate, I've seen the look on his face when you give him a peck on the cheek, and I've seen the look on his face when he is with Alexis. I bet he was wishing someone took a photo so he could frame it…like in a ten by twelve _foot_ frame."

Kate smiled, finished her coffee and said, "Hmmm, I never thought through having a boyfriend that my friends know so well." She paused while Lanie laughed and said, "Gotta get back, what time do you want to do to lunch?"

"Isn't your boy coming later this morning?" As Kate nodded yes, Lanie continued, "So how come you're not having lunch with him?"

"Business meeting…with Gina."

Lanie didn't miss the way Kate pronounced the name Gina, like it was something that crawled out from under a rock. She still remembered the devastated look on Kate's face as she watched Castle walk off with his arm around his ex. And when she found out from Kate later that she'd broken up with Demming to go with Castle, it just made her heart break for her friend.

Why on earth couldn't they just come out and say what they felt? Like everyone else, she was not happy with Castle when he never called the whole summer, but he came back, still with Gina and then Kate found Josh. Despite the obvious chemistry between them, they still managed to mess things up.

Then Castle broke up with Gina but Kate stayed with Josh, for whatever crazy reason, till he finally proved once and for all what a jerk he was and she dumped him. Then Castle, and she never would have believed it if Kate hadn't told her, actually manned up and told her his feelings.

And look where that's brought them, learning how to call pizza 'ah beets'. As this thought came to her Lanie started to giggle. Kate looked up at her friend and said, "What?"

This made Lanie start to giggle even harder and Kate simply rolled her eyes, told her she'd see her at noon for lunch, then got up and left.

Lanie stood up and headed towards the morgue with an occasional giggle coming out. She was thinking how wonderful it is that Kate has finally accepted that happiness, and love, is something that she deserves. That she can still miss her mom every day, yet be happy in the love of a family, her family. 'Gonna be four months soon, wonder what writer man plans for _that_ anniversary?' she thought as she entered the elevator to start her day.

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"Beckett!" Kate said into the phone.

"He's on his way up, and the bear claw is still warm!"

"I told you Lanie, I've given up trying to figure how he does it."

"Who cares how he does it? I just want you to have him tell Javi so _he_ can bring them to me warm!"

Kate laughed and said, "I'll see if he'll pass the secret on to Esposito Lanie, and it looks like he's about to arrive now."

"See you at noon Kate," Lanie said and then hung up the phone.

As Kate hung up the phone, she watched the door of the elevator open and Rick walked out. She looked at what he was wearing and couldn't help but think just how fine he looked. She felt the hairs on her arm stand up and thought, 'damn endorphins, not at work girl, not at work!'

Placing a coffee in front of her along with a warm bear claw he sat down in his chair and said with a big grin, "Good morning detective! How's your day been so far? Miss me terribly?"

Kate smiled, blew him a quick kiss, then opened the bag taking only half the bear claw and putting the other half back in. Folding the top she said, "Give this to Esposito and tell him how you manage to get them here warm."

"Huh?"

She leaned towards him whispering, "And why did you wear _that_ shirt today? You know what it does to me?"

His eyes twinkling he said, "What? This old thing? It's the first shirt I grabbed out of the closet."

Kate narrowed her eyes and said with a tight smile, "Do you mind bringing your ear closer to my hand?"

He smiled and said, "Nope! No can do. Gotta talk to Esposito, help out Lanie. You know me and helping ladies in distress!"

When he arose from his chair she replied, "You were never a boy scout Rick."

As he was ready to walk to Esposito's desk he turned and reached over her shoulder to pick up the bag with the half bear claw. As he did he leaned to her ear and whispered in a sensuous voice, "We are both busy this afternoon, but this evening Kate…this evening you belong to me."

He heard her quick intake of breath and saw the blush start to rise from her cheeks. Leaving a light kiss on her neck he quickly turned and headed to Esposito's desk.

A delightful shudder went through her body as she thought once again, 'damn endorphins.'

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Rick called Kate at 3:30 that afternoon to let her know he would be a bit late but would see her around 7ish. He could not talk long because of the meeting and she was buried in paperwork.

Although he would be spending the time with Gina she was actually glad he would be late as it would give her time to prepare something special for him. Her mind kept going back to that shirt…and how very fine he looked in it; she could not wait for 5 o'clock to arrive. When the time finally came, she almost flew out of the station, stopped at the store to pick up a few more things and then drove home.

Kate entered her apartment, turned on the lights and put her purse down under the Temptation Lane cast photo. She closed and locked the door, then picked up the bags from the store and went into the kitchen.

Putting the bags on the table, she turned on the light and saw a card propped up against a vase of brightly colored flowers. That was the sweet aroma she smelled when she walked in. Smiling at how romantic he was, she leaned down into the flowers to get a deeper whiff of their perfume, and then picked up the card. She smiled at how he addressed it, 'To My Love', and then turning it over to open it she let out a laugh. He had drawn a tree on the back with a heart on it. In the center of the heart he wrote RC+KB. A soft smile came on her face as she found a knife to open the envelope, since she didn't want to disturb the sweet drawing on the back.

Inside was a card with a little boy dressed in an adult business suit standing on the first step of a train, throwing him a kiss was a little girl with dark curls, wearing an adult dress. Kate smiled as they looked so adorable, and they did remind her of them.

Opening the card, she read his words, 'Wherever I am, you are always with me in my heart. I love you so very much.'

Suddenly the words became hard to read as her eyes teared up, she felt a wave of desire flow over her and wished more than anything that he was there right now so she could kiss him senseless.

Taking a deep breath she looked at the bags on the counter and recalled she wanted to make dinner. She put the card back in the envelope and walked into her bedroom, opening her closet. There she took out a box, put it on her dresser and opened it, looking at all the cards he had given her in the past few months. Placing the new card in with the others, she smiled and shook her head. She never knew where she would find a card from him; it's just one of the little things he does that makes her feel loved.

Closing the box, she put it back in her closet and headed towards the kitchen. She had ninety minutes to make dinner, plenty of time for the chicken parmesan and grilled zucchini with pecorino.

Forty-five minutes later, everything was prepared to be cooked shortly before he arrived, so she poured herself a glass of wine. Giving a contented sigh, she slowly walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. She was about to remove her boots when she noticed his laptop on the coffee table. Looking closely she saw that it was still on and it made her smile again.

Ever since he bought the laptop to leave at her apartment, he kept forgetting to turn it off when he left. 'I guess he did some writing when he stopped here to drop off the card and flowers this afternoon,' she thought to herself.

She lightly dragged her finger across the touch pad and the computer came back up again asking for his password. She smiled as she recalled how surprised he was when she quickly typed it in the first time he brought the laptop over.

"_How do you know my password? Its super secret! I spent hours trying to figure one out that's hard to crack!"_

_She simply smiled at him and said, "I doubt many people would be able to figure it out, but I know you writer man, probably better than you know yourself." She shrugged her shoulders and said in an off the cuff way, "It was simple."_

"_No way! You had to peek when I was putting it in!"_

"_You do recall that this is the first time I've seen this laptop, don't you? After all, you just brought it in."_

"_But how can you…"_

"_Take out your phone."_

"_Huh?"_

_She leaned forward and spoke slowly, "Take. Out. Your. Phone."_

_He took his phone out of his jacket and said, "Ok?"_

"_Good. Now go to your photo's folder."_

_He fiddled with the phone for a few seconds and said, "Ok, now what?"_

"_See if you can find that photo you took of me at Remy's last Tuesday night."_

_He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Which one? I always take a lot of photos of you."_

"_The one you took when you made me laugh just as I took a drink and it tried to come out of my nose."_

_He fiddled around with his phone for a while and she watched as he crinkled his eyebrows in confusion. After a few minutes he looked up and said, "It isn't here any more."_

_She smiled and said, "Nope."_

_His eyes got wide and he stared at her in shock. "But my phone has a different password! No one can figure it out!"_

_Giving him a Cheshire cat grin she slowly got up from the couch and asked if he'd like another glass of wine._

_She had to turn away as a big smile came across her face. Deciding she wanted to really rub it in she made sure her walk to the kitchen was as swaggering as it could be. It reminded her of the first case they worked on together, when she told him he had no idea and turned to walk back to her car and the suspect. But unlike that time she added an additional swish to her hips, a swish that only he got to see._

_A few seconds later she knew it worked when he rushed up, grabbed her from behind and started kissing the back of her neck._

Looking at the screen that opened she had to laugh. It was a real estate site in Idaho and he had been looking at potato farms. She looked around for her phone, remembered it was in the kitchen and went to get it. Once in hand she sent him a text, 'Any Nikki's Chips and you lose an ear!' then pressed the send button.

Chuckling to herself, she walked back to the couch and closed down his browser. She was just about to shut down the laptop when her phone dinged and she picked it up to read the incoming text message. She knew it had to be from him and she laughed when she read, 'But it would be so cool! Apples! Apples!'

She was still laughing when a second text came through, 'Leaving now, there in 20 or so.'

Kate gave a quick reply, 'Be hungry,' and headed to the kitchen to start cooking, a big smile on her face. Tonight, Richard Castle was all hers; she didn't have to share with anyone.

As she was thinking this she felt a shiver of delight flow through her; 'Mmmm, endorphins!' she thought with a sultry smile.

Fifteen minutes later she was at the stove when she heard his key in the door and he entered her apartment. She heard the door close and the locks put in place and then his footsteps as he walked to the kitchen.

She turned with a smile and said, "Hi! Everything will be ready in a…mmmpphhh." Her words were stopped by his mouth meeting hers in one of those passionate kisses she never gets enough of. As his arms came around her and hers around his neck, she forgot everything as those endorphins started rampaging through her body.

After a minute, they drew back for a breath and she remembered dinner. "Rick, the food is going…mmmpphhh." He started kissing her again and she simply enjoyed the sensation. When they finally broke for air he gave her a smirk and said, "I've been thinking about that all day and…mmmpphhh." He couldn't speak any more as Kate was kissing him. He closed his eyes and savored the feel of her lips on his.

When they slowly pulled apart from each other she looked in his eyes and smiled. She knew dinner would be late. Pulling back from him, she quickly turned the stove off and with a thousand watt smile, let the evening proceed where it may.

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An hour later they were still resting in each others arms when he said, "I don't think I have ever told you this, but every time I kiss you I can feel it down to my toes."

Resting her head on his shoulder she looked up to his eyes and gave him a sultry smile, and said, "Me too."

"They say before you find your handsome prince or beautiful princess you have to kiss a few frogs, but honestly Kate, I have never felt like this when I kissed anybody else."

"When you kissed me when we went to get Esposito and Ryan from Lockwood, it sent chills through me," she said. "I knew the guard was there but I couldn't hold back and _needed _to kiss you again, _needed_ to feel your lips on mine, and it made my knees weak."

He looked into her eyes and she saw the love he had for her as she continued, "I almost didn't have the strength to stop kissing you and knock him out. And after that it took me a while to get myself together."

He kissed her tenderly, then pulled back as she smiled at him, saying, "I know that you meant our kiss when you said 'That was amazing', because I felt the same way. You make my insides melt when we kiss Rick, I never experienced that before."

He watched as her eyes became even softer when she said, "My Mom told me when I was little that the perfect man for me would make me tingle when we kissed."

"She did?"

Kate gave a chuckle as she said, "Yes, but I was eight and thought kissing a boy was gross."

He leaned down to her face, kissed the tip of her nose and said, "I am really glad you don't think that any more."

"Actually Rick, I still do."

At his puzzled look she continued, "Just the thought of kissing anybody else feels…wrong. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah I do. I can't even think of kissing another woman. Every other kiss I've had is so blah compared to you. Remember, I did say you were extraordinary, and so far there is nothing about you that has proven me wrong."

Kate rolled her eyes and said, "I can't believe I'm being this 'lovey dovey'." At his look she said, "Really, I haven't had butterflies in my stomach for a guy since I was in High School."

Rick was about to speak when his stomach suddenly interrupted him by growling.

Kate giggled and said, "Come on love, I better fix dinner before you fade away to nothing."

She gave him one last quick kiss and then got up; putting on a pair of sweats, she headed into the kitchen and turned on the stove.

.

.

Sitting on her couch with Rick after dinner she recalled the last time she felt so contented in her life, it was just before her mother died.

She thought about her pillow talk with Rick, about kissing other people, and then about her previous relationships. Although she really only had two serious ones, with Will and Josh, neither of them could ever hold a candle to Rick. The problem was they both thought they had to impress her, like those other guys who she barely dated over the years.

For some reason they thought they had to take her to fancy places or like Will did once, rent a yacht for the day though he never took it out of the dock. Of course with Josh, once they got physical, he spent more time at work and at Doctors Without Borders than he did with her, and Will went from trying to impress her to taking her for granted and then expecting her to up and leave with him to Boston.

Rick is the only man who ever bothered to learn what she liked, what she wanted in her 'one and done'. Of course she doesn't mind going out to a nice restaurant now and then, and she really was grudgingly learning to accept the change in her life style and her new notoriety; but Rick understands that it is times like this, _family_ times, _couple_ times that she appreciates most, and secretly yeaned for. Time is something so rarely given and so precious to receive. What she wouldn't give for just one more minute with her mom.

She smiled as she watched him eat the frosting off the third cupcake she brought home for dessert. 'Third?' she thought to herself.

She looked to the side of his plate and saw two cupcakes with the frosting missing. Reaching out her hand, she picked up the box and pulled the remaining three away from him.

"Huh?" he asked. "Why'd you take them away? They're really good."

"How do you know? You have two frosting deprived cupcakes next to your plate Rick; how come you're just eating the frosting?"

Taking the last lick of frosting off the third cupcake he replied, "Mega carbs. Need quick energy build up. You're amazing."

"Well you eat only one of those naked cupcakes now, and I'll put new frosting on the other two for another day."

His eyes lit up and he said, "Oooo, frosting! Can I lick the bowl?"

Rolling her eyes she asked, "How can you go from being an adult to nine so quickly?"

He was still smiling but he suddenly had a serious look on his face as he sat back and answered, "When Meredith left us I had to be not just mother and father for Alexis, I also had to be her playmate too before she started school. She would point out things in wonder that I took for granted, and I learned to appreciate them through her eyes. I started to see the wonder in simple things, the enjoyment to be had in just being somewhere, doing something or even only sitting in one place."

He paused as he watched her face. She was listening intently to his words. "As my books became more popular and I made more money, I was able to use my time to be with my daughter, to watch faces in clouds, to see a spider weave a web, to gaze in amazement at a hummingbird. We chased pigeons, we searched for the three bears and Alexis came up with some fantastic ideas about the world around us."

He smiled softly and said, "I bought the house in the Hamptons so she could build a sand castle and not worry about anyone knocking it over. She had one that lasted most of the summer when she was six."

Kate gently touched his arm and asked, "So Alexis taught you how to be a child again?"

"Let's just say I had an inner child that I buried deep inside and she helped let him out. I don't know how I would have been able to go through my life if it wasn't for her."

"Rick."

"No, really Kate. When I sold my first book I spent so wildly I made a drunken sailor look stingy. I was almost as bad as Congress! My second book was needed just to pay off debts left from over spending on my first book."

He made a sad chuckle sound and continued, "I have a reputation as this playboy author with a different woman every night, but most of that was taking someone Paula arranged for me to be seen with for publicity, usually for both of us."

Kate smiled and said, "All of them?"

"Ok not all of them, but a lot. I'm a man and I do have needs…as you very well know, but honestly the most important times in my life were spent with Alexis. Then all of a sudden she was growing up, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it! My little girl wasn't quite my little girl any more, and I kind of lost direction."

He turned fully towards her and took her hands in his and said, "I don't think you will ever be able to understand just how damn grateful I am to the universe that you came into my life."

She saw his eyes were getting moist and with her eyes, intensely gazing into his, silently told him to continue.

"I lost my direction, I lost my love of living and I was losing some of the wonder that Alexis had shown me, and then you walked into my life and showed me that there was so much more to the world than my little place in it. Being with you has allowed me to grow into someone I would not have recognized five years ago. I _like_ helping you solve crimes, I _like_ being part of a team, of another family. I _like_ being able to help people in need, and I _love_ being able to do it with you."

His eyes never wavering from hers, he said, "Don't ever doubt it for a second Kate, I was drowning and you saved me."

Kate leaned towards him till her forehead was touching his and put her arm around his neck. She felt his breath on her face and he felt hers on his as she softly spoke, "We are quite the pair Rick, aren't we? Bruised, battered, wounded by our pasts and still we managed to find each other in the messes we created."

She sighed and kissed the tip of his nose, her lips lingering there before she continued to speak, "You know me, not the façade I show, not the masks I wear, but _me_, and you love me despite how broken I sometimes feel, how often I pushed you away."

She pulled her face away from his and she looked him in the eyes, "I am so damn lucky to have you in my life, and if it all ended today I wouldn't trade a second of it."

She saw the twinkle appear in his eyes as he said, "So we saved each other?"

Smiling Kate replied, "Yep, but if you pull a Richard Gere and jump out of a limo at me with flowers I promise I'll shoot you."

He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, softly saying, "Duly noted Detective. Duly noted."

They leaned back into the couch and each other and simply enjoyed the quiet, and being together.

.

.

Friday morning Kate awoke to the smell of coffee and waffles. Stretching she looked at the clock and realized there was actually enough time to really eat and enjoy breakfast before heading to work.

Getting out of bed she found his shirt and put it on. She knew what his wearing that shirt did for her, but also knew just how much more her wearing that shirt will do to him.

She quietly made her way to the kitchen hoping to surprise him but he turned around just as she entered and handed her a cup of coffee. "Morning gorgeous," he said with a smile. "I see I'm probably about to lose another shirt."

Taking her fist sip of coffee Kate smiled, ran her hand down the front of the shirt and said, "This old thing? Don't worry babe, I like it much more on you." She sat down on the chair while he put two waffles on a plate and placed it in front of her with a flourish. Next came the bottle of maple syrup and then he sat down to join her for breakfast.

Taking another sip of coffee she looked over the rim of her cup at him. Enjoying the fact that he was there with her, that they were eating breakfast together in as domestic a scene as you could ever find.

As she started to eat her breakfast she was thinking how natural it felt. How normal, how comforting. If someone had told her even a year ago that she would be quietly sitting with Castle eating breakfast and be in a solid relationship with him she would have sent to them to a psychiatrist.

Yet here she was, not quite four months into what has fast become the most important and intense relationship in her life; with a man she truly and deeply loves. She could actually picture herself living with him the rest of her life.

She looked up at him and smiled, he had again taken a bigger bite than he should have and maple syrup was dripping from his chin. She lifted her hand and softly removed it with her finger. With their eyes locked she put her finger in her mouth and licked off the syrup.

Wave upon wave of affection, love, desire and a sense of ownership hit her. She was falling into his eyes again and she felt like she never wanted to come up. She felt that she could stay there forever and before she knew what was happening she said, "Rick?"

"Hmmm?"

"Will you…" She stopped suddenly. 'Oh my God, was I about to propose to him? I was! I was about to propose to Richard Castle!'

"Kate? Will I what?"

"Uh, will you…will you freshen my coffee?"

He smiled and said in an English accent, "I am here but to serve you m'lady," and got up from his seat to get the coffee pot and cream.

Meanwhile Kate was a mass of conflicting emotions. 'I was about to propose to him! Do I want to do this now? Do I really know him enough to live the rest of my life with him? Of course I do, I've never felt like this for anyone else before, and if I'm honest with myself I've had these feelings for him for a long time now. But if I'm ready for this, is he ready? He said he'd ask but is this too soon? And do I realize I'm having a conversation with myself?'

She smiled and thanked him as he refreshed her coffee and she quickly finished her breakfast. Picking up her coffee cup she said, "I'd better get in the shower, I don't want to be late. I'll help you clean up later."

Rick said, "No, you get ready, I'll clean up and then walk out with you. I'll get back home, take a shower and change clothes and catch up to you at the station."

She blew him a kiss and continued to the bathroom and started the shower. A few minutes later the hot water was easing the tension that had developed in her shoulders. 'I was going to propose to him! I was going to ask him to marry me! Me, Kate Beckett, I was going to ask Rick to marry me. Where the hell did that come from?'

Her mind going around in circles she mechanically finished her shower, dried her hair and put on her makeup and clothes. Unaware of what she was doing she opened the box that held her mothers ring, her fathers watch, her badge and her gun and put them on. Walking to the living room she almost walked into Rick as he came out of the kitchen, dressed in last nights clothes and ready to leave with her.

"Kate? Are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, Rick! Sorry, I was thinking."

"Had to be about me then."

Coming back to herself Kate asked, "Why would you think that?"

"You had a puzzled look on your face; you almost always have that look when you're thinking about me."

"I do?"

"Oh yes. Usually it's after I say something about the CIA, or Aliens or Ninja assassins."

"Ninjas _are_ assassins Castle."

"See? I knew it was about me."

Rolling her eyes Kate smiled and said, "In your dreams Rick."

Leaning in and kissing her on the cheek he replied, "Always Kate. You're all I ever dream about."

She blushed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before they walked out the door. She knew that driving him to the loft this morning would probably be the longest drive she ever made in her life. 'I almost asked him to _marry_ me!'

.

.

Two hours later she was showing Esposito and Ryan a trick she learned years ago to help make the paperwork go faster.

All the way from her apartment to the loft to the precinct, her mind was in a whirl from what she almost did. Knowing there was no case, just mind numbing paperwork ahead of her, Kate decided to teach her team one of her tricks. By teaching something new she hoped it would take her thoughts away from breakfast this morning, and for the most part it worked.

That is until Castle showed up with two cups of coffee.

Looking up from his desk Esposito said, "Yo Castle! No bearclaw this morning?"

Rick handed her coffee to Kate who quickly nodded to him before turning back to her team. He smiled at Esposito and said, "I just had this feeling of not being hungry this morning, and figured it was my Jedi mind powers in touch with her stomach."

Kate looked at him, rolled her eyes and said, "You're mind reading my stomach?"

Esposito and Ryan had big grins on their faces while Castle looked at her with an innocent look on his. His right eyebrow rose and she sighed, pointed to his chair and said, "Sit. I'm teaching them a way to make paperwork go faster and we'll be done soon."

"Anything you say Beckett, you know me, do what I'm told and keep my mouth shut."

All three looked at him when Captain Montgomery walked by and said, "Ok, I now believe in alien abductions." Turning to Castle he looked him in the eye and said in his most serious interrogation voice, "Who are you and what did you do with Rick Castle!"

Castle started to sputter when the Captain turned away, gave a huge grin and headed back to his office. Beckett, Esposito and Ryan started laughing at the look on Castle's face, and Ryan took a photo. No one expected Captain Montgomery to do something like that, especially Castle, and Ryan couldn't let slip an opportunity like this. Castle's shocked face was going to be the new wallpaper on many a detective's desktop in a few hours.

Kate, still laughing, poked him in the shoulder and said, "Serves you right. Now go sit down in your chair."

Shaking his head in defeat Castle went to sit in his chair while Kate turned back to continue teaching her team. She stopped when she saw Ryan uploading the photo and soon all three were smiling at the new wallpaper on Ryan's machine. A stunned looking Richard Castle, with mouth hanging open in shock. It was priceless and Ryan e-mailed it to Beckett, Esposito and Captain Montgomery.

"Send one to Lanie too," Esposito whispered and Ryan nodded his head.

Kate wrote down an e-mail address and said, "Send it here." At Ryan's puzzled look she added, "That's for Alexis, we can't leave her out on this one." With a big grin on his face Ryan sent it to Alexis, adding a note that Kate wanted her to have it.

All three turned to look at Castle, sitting in his chair and trying to keep from getting into any more trouble. Ryan and Esposito immediately turned back to their work but Kate looked at him a few moments longer. Inside she wasn't as confused as she'd been earlier. She looked at Rick with soft eyes and thought, 'He's so adorable…and I am so deep into him that I don't ever want to get out.'

Giving a last look she turned back to the paperwork and finished teaching the boys some old tricks.

An hour later Kate was surprised she managed to finish up her paperwork. Her mind definitely wasn't in it. She kept thinking about this morning and wanting to talk to someone about it. It was times like these that she really missed her mother.

Looking out the corner of her eye, she saw Rick was engrossed with something on his phone and she let her mind go over the possibilities once more. Lanie? No, Lanie would squeal, jump for joy, then immediately let Esposito know and then the whole precinct would know…well before Rick did.

Should she talk to Maddie? Maddie was her oldest friend, and they were getting pretty tight again after meeting up last year. In addition Maddie _did_ know her mother, but Maddie's been crowing about Castle babies since she and Rick started dating and would just tell her to go for it without even thinking it over.

Her dad? Oh no. Even before her mother died her father never wanted to know details about the boys she dated, just whether he should shoot them or not. She smiled thinking again how he scared the daylights out of her first date. She didn't talk to him for a week after that, she was so mad. Her mom just sighed and tried to make peace between them over ice cream sundaes.

Martha? Hell no! Martha would simply grab her and him and march them to the altar, making as big a production out of it as possible. No matter how many times she went over it, there was no one to tell. She'd have to figure this on her own.

Rick, noticing that Kate had been staring at him for the past few minutes decided to break her out of whatever circle she was in. She had that look on her face that said she was going around and around thinking about the same thing and getting nowhere. He smiled at the sudden realization of how much he truly did know her body language and facial expressions. 'Too bad I can't read her mind,' he thought to himself, 'it would make things a lot easier on me.'

He cleared his throat to get her attention and said, "Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful day. Maria and Paval picked a great weekend for little Ivan's party."

"According to the weatherman it should be one of the top ten days of the whole year. Which reminds me I have to do something nice for the guys, they're going to cover for me this weekend."

"Oh good. I was going to ask if the Captain Ok'd it for you."

"Yep, we're all set." She paused a moment and asked, "So how's Alexis doing? Pretty excited?"

Rick rolled his eyes and Kate couldn't help but notice he was getting pretty good at it. "Excited doesn't even begin to describe how she's feeling. She's never been a Godmother before, especially a Russian one. She's been reading up as much as possible to make sure she makes no mistakes."

Kate smiled thinking how determined Alexis was to be the very best Godmother to little Ivan. She recalled the phone call when Alexis was first asked and was reminded again, just how special the girl was. She told her before she told her father.

They spent almost an hour on the phone talking about how important this was. It wasn't just an honorary thing, or just something you do for a friend; no, in Russia being someone's Godmother was a serious responsibility.

Usually the godparents had to be Russian Orthodox, but evidently Paval and Maria were able to make an exception with Alexis.

"What does she think of Dmitri being the Godfather?"

Rick smiled and said, "She wasn't too sure about that. You have to remember she hasn't seen him in a few years and she remembers an obnoxious young boy."

Kate chuckled, "Oh boy, is she going to be surprised when she meets the six feet two inch hunk he is now."

"Hmmm, think she may forget about Ashley and Stanford?"

Kate patted his arm, "This is Alexis we're talking about, she doesn't give her heart frivolously, and she's honest in her emotions." She paused a moment and said, "You raised a really terrific girl there Rick."

That soft smile she loved so much came on his face as he said, "You should have seen her when she was five and slowly growing up. She would have stolen your heart Kate."

"Like yours?"

"Oh, she had mine from the first moment I held her." He paused a moment and said, "She amazes me every day, you know?" He started looking at photos of her on his phone.

Kate got up and headed to the break room, "She does that to all of us Rick. I'm getting some water, do you want anything?"

Without looking up he said, "You mean other than you? No, I'm good."

Lightly punching him on the shoulder, she headed for the soda machine to buy a bottle of water. At the door to the hallway, she turned around and saw he was watching her. His eyes looked slightly out of focus and he had a slight smile on his face. When he noticed her looking at him, he blushed and turned back to his phone.

Kate smiled to herself and felt another wave of feelings for him come over her. Walking into the hallway, she came to the soda machine, put money in, pressed the button and picked up her bottle of water. Unscrewing the cap, she took a long drink and then rested the cold bottle on her forehead. 'I almost asked him to marry me,' she thought and then another thought came right after, 'and that doesn't worry me as much as it did before.'

.

.

Because they had to be at the Christening for Ivan by 10am, and immediately leave for the party afterwards, Kate stopped at her apartment and picked up what she was going to wear and then headed to Rick's to stay the night.

Alexis had suggested her staying over since Kate had spent time in Russia, and looked forward to Kate's help in preparing for her new role as Godmother to Ivan.

Since Alexis wanted to get her homework and studies out of the way to enjoy the weekend, they decided on Chicken a la Rick and Kate helped him prepare. Alexis found it more interesting to watch the two of them interact while cooking than actually doing her homework. She knew she'd pay for it later, but watching her Dad and Kate was just so much fun.

After dinner they decided on ice cream for dessert. Alexis took her bowl with her to the living room to study and Kate took hers to Rick's office. A few minutes later Rick came in and sat at his desk with his bowl and a can of whipped cream.

Holding up the can, he asked Kate, "Want any?"

"No thanks, I'll stick with the chocolate sauce."

Shaking his head he said, "Your loss Kate, you can never have enough whipped cream." He then shook the can and proceeded to almost empty it on his ice cream. There was close to four inches of whipped cream on top of his ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Watching him in horror Kate said, "Geez Rick, don't go overboard!"

He was about to put the spoon in his mouth when his eyes got wide and he said, "Overboard! You said overboard!"

Kate looked up and said, "So?"

"Have you ever been on a cruise?"

"Huh? Where'd that come from?"

"A vacation. Your vacation. I haven't forgotten it you know."

"Ok…"

"So?"

"So, what?"

He made a loud sigh and said, "Soooo, have you ever been on a cruise?"

"No I haven't."

"Believe it or not, neither have I. That sounds like it could be fun."

"What about getting seasick?"

"I don't get seasick."

"How do you know? You've never been on a cruise."

"I've been on the yacht."

She placed her bowl in her lap. "What yacht?"

"My yacht."

"You have a yacht? You never told me you had a yacht."

"You never asked."

Kate rolled her eyes and said, "When would that come up, 'Oh look here's the body, by the way Castle, do you have a yacht'?"

"Hmmm, doesn't really fit into a crime scene, does it?"

"Ya think?"

"Hmmm."

"So…"

"So, I have a yacht." He put up his hands to stop her from talking and said, "But really, I honestly forgot to tell you about it. I'm not one of those kinds of guys who need to flaunt what he has, and I really don't like the ones who put on a captains cap and pretend they know what they're doing on the weekends when they visit the marina."

"Ok. So how big is this yacht?"

He pulled out his phone and started tapping madly.

"You have to look it up? You don't know how big it is?"

"No, no, it's not that. I'm looking for some photos…I thought I had some here."

"When was the last time you were on this yacht?"

"A few years ago. I finished Storm Fall around that time."

She tapped his phone and said, "You got a new phone since then, remember?"

He stopped and said, "That's right! It's on the server!" He put his phone away and picked up the laptop and started an internet session. Soon he was at the main page of his personal web site, . Kate thought it was pretty clever that anyone finding that site will read the 'Under Construction' notice and nothing else. The page was blank and there was nothing at all that let anyone know it was associated with Richard Castle. Even though the page was blank he typed in a name and password, and a few seconds later he had access to his home computer and opened his photos folder.

"There it is." She watched as his eyes got soft. "I took this shot of Alexis on it, she was thirteen then. She was very brave but never really liked the yacht, which is why I thought of selling it."

"Looks big. What kind is it?"

"It's a Hargrave Pilothouse, and it is pretty big I guess, it's 97 feet long and has a 21 foot beam with a 6 foot draft."

"Rick, I don't understand most of that, but 97 feet seems big."

"Not for the Hamptons. Mine is mid sized compared to a lot of others there."

"So what do you call it," she asked with a smile, "the 'Minnow'?"

"Ha. Ha. No, it's called Martha after my mother. And even though it isn't as large as other yachts, it has four staterooms with private baths, can accommodate ten passengers and a crew of up to five."

"Wow. Sounds nice. So where is it?"

"I'm not quite sure."

Kate started to smile, "Rick, are you telling me you misplaced a 97 foot yacht?"

Squirming in his seat he said, "Well, I wouldn't say I misplaced it…"

Her eyes twinkling and trying to hold back her laughter Kate said, "Then what would you call it?"

"Um, hold on a sec," he called out to the living room, "Alexis!"

From the living room, they heard her voice call back, "What Dad?"

"Will you come here for a minute please?"

A few seconds later Alexis came into his office to see Kate sitting on the couch with her hand covering her mouth, and her father looking somewhat embarrassed. "What's the matter Dad?"

"Oh, nothing's really the matter pumpkin, it's just…"

Kate couldn't hold back any longer and started to laugh. With a puzzled look on her face Alexis said, "Kate?"

Catching her breath Kate pointed to Rick and said, "Your father misplaced his yacht."

Alexis opened her mouth then turned back to Rick and said, "Dad?"

"Well I was going to sell it but I don't think I did and I'm not quite sure where I left it."

Alexis started to giggle and sat on the couch next to Kate who joined in the laughter. Rick sat at his desk with a resigned look on his face which made them both laugh even harder.

Finally catching her breath Alexis said, "Why don't you call Chris? Wasn't he going to sell it when you decided on a price?"

Snapping his fingers Rick exclaimed, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Looking at Alexis he said, "That's why I like to keep you around pumpkin."

Kate turned to Alexis, "Who's Chris?"

"He's Dad's money manager. Well one of them anyway."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he has several for different types of investments, but Chris is his main contact. He's really Dad's 'go to guy' when it comes to all sorts of things. He oversees all the others along with Dad."

They overheard Rick as he spoke to Chris. "Hey Chris, yeah it's me. Uh huh, oh she's fine, going to be a godmother tomorrow. Really. Yeah, soon now, I'm not too thrilled about it but I can't keep her from going to college."

Alexis looked at Kate and rolled her eyes. Kate smiled back at her and thought, 'Wow, she does that perfectly.'

Rick was laughing at something Chris said and then answered saying, "Well…yes I do have a question, but it's kind of embarrassing. No! I don't have to come up with bail!"

Kate barked out a laugh at that and Rick started to blush as he continued, "Actually Chris, I was wondering if you knew where my yacht is."

Kate and Alexis smiled as they heard Chris' laughter over the phone. "Chris. Chris! It's not _that_ funny!"

Rick turned his eyes towards the couch and grimaced as he saw the smirks on their faces. He was reminded once again how much they seem alike…especially when it comes to him.

Evidently Chris stopped laughing as Rick started nodding his head and wrote down the location of his yacht. He nodded his head again and evidently Chris had asked a question as he answered, "No, I don't know if I'm going to sell it. Actually I forgot about it till Kate and I were talking." He paused a moment then looked at Kate with a slightly worried look.

"Uh, no actually. Well I haven't had a chance. I know. I know. Chris, _I know_! I promise I'll do it as soon as possible. Yes. Really. No you are not going to talk to her now, we're very busy with…something. Ok. Ok. Thanks for your help. Yes. Chris, I said I will. Ok. Ok. Bye."

Listening to the end of the conversation, Kate turned to Alexis with a confused look on her face. "Do you know what that's about?" she whispered.

Alexis smiled and said, "Yeah, but I think it's best if Dad handles it."

At Kate's worried look Alexis put her hand on Kate's arm and quickly added, "It's nothing bad Kate, really. It's actually something very good but you know how Dad can be."

They both turned when Rick said, "It's in North Carolina."

"North Carolina?"

"Dad! What's it doing there?"

"Chris said it's all about taxes. So it's been sitting in North Carolina for about four years now."

"It's been sitting in North Carolina for _four_ years?"

"I thought you were going to sell it Dad."

Rick's head had been going back and forth between them and he finally put up his hand to stop the questions. "I'm going to get dizzy and did you two practice that, 'cause if you didn't I'm in big trouble."

Alexis got up from the couch, gave her father a kiss and said, "You were in trouble the first time you saw Kate."

As he looked at her in surprise she added, "Your ice cream and whipped cream is melting." She then looked at Kate, nodded her head, and walked out of the room.

Rick missed the little interplay between the two as he looked at his melting dessert. "I have to get more whipped cream," he said as he started to get out of his chair.

Kate put out her leg to block him from leaving and said, "Oh no Rick, you're staying right here. I have a few questions for you."

Still looking at his bowl of ice cream, he asked distractedly, "Questions?"

"Yes Rick. I have a few questions about Chris, and what you haven't talked to me about."

Turning his head, he saw she wasn't angry or upset, but she definitely was in detective mode. There was something she wanted to know and there was no way she wasn't going to find out. He sighed and sat down, looked at his melting dessert and said, "This would go a lot better with whipped cream."

Picking up her own bowl, Kate looked him in the eye and said, "Castle. Talk."

He picked up his bowl, sighed and took a spoonful into his mouth. Swallowing he said, "Ok, first off, there's Chris…this could really use more whipped cream you know."

"Castle!"

"Ok, ok. I met Chris in college. I was writing my second book and was still spending money like it was going out of style when Mother suggested I talk to someone who knew about investing. I had no idea who to contact so I went to the Economics department of the college and asked to talk to one of the professors about money."

He took another spoonful of ice cream, looked at it before putting it into his mouth and sighed.

"Oh for crying out loud! You sit there and don't move while I get another can of whipped cream. Remember I can see if you try to skip out on me!"

Rick smiled as Kate got up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen. He pumped his fist and thought no matter how small, it was definitely a victory and should be celebrated.

Outside his office he heard Alexis laugh as Kate said something and less than a minute later Kate came back with a new can of whipped cream, handed it to him before sitting down and said, "No more interruptions, talk."

Putting another three inches of whipped cream in his bowl Rick replied, "As I said I went to the Economics department and the secretary, oh sorry, she called herself the administrative assistant…Kate you wouldn't _believe_ what an attitude…" He looked at her and saw she was not amused. "Uh, ok, where was I?"

"Administrative assistant."

"Right. With the attitude. She told me to sit down and there were only two chairs, one was occupied by someone around my age who was reading the Wall Street Journal."

He took a huge spoonful from his bowl and gave Kate a beatific smile. "Sure you don't want any whipped cream?"

"Rick, why is it when I want you to be quiet I can't get you to shut up but when I want you to talk you do everything but?"

He looked back at her with his mouth full of dessert and said, "Hmmm?"

She sighed, rolled her eyes and told him to swallow and talk.

With a big gulp he smiled and continued, "The guy I sat next to was Chris. Long story short, he was a fan and we got to talking about why I was there. He's been my money guy ever since."

"And that was so hard to tell me?"

He grinned sheepishly and said, "No, it wasn't."

"But that's not what you haven't been talking to me about, is it?"

The grin faded from his face and he said, "Um?"

Leaning back into the couch Kate smiled and said, "Quite a change from the articulate, polished Richard Castle the world sees. So tell me Rick, tell me what Chris expects you to talk to me about. You know you have to anyway."

He looked at her, gave a slight smile and said, "Just a couple more spoonfuls and I'm done, let me finish and then we'll talk. Ok?"

Putting down her empty bowl Kate nodded her head and said, "Ok."

A few minutes, and a few yummy sounds from the desk later, Rick put down his bowl and turned to Kate.

"Remember a couple of years ago when I asked if you'd take care of Alexis if anything happened to me?"

"Yes."

"I spoke to Chris and set up a special fund in case anything happened and had it put in my name in trust for you and Alexis."

Kate sat up and said, "What?"

"You're not getting mad are you? Or freaking out about this?"

"Why would I get mad or freak out about a fund to help Alexis?"

Rick hunched down in his chair and said under his breath, "Because it's an eight figure number."

Out in the living room Alexis heard a startled "What?" from Kate emanating from her fathers office. 'I guess he told her,' Alexis thought as she returned to her studies.

Calming down Kate said, "What do you mean by 'eight figures'?"

Hunching down even further in his chair Rick said, "Like in twenty million dollars."

Back in the living room Alexis heard another startled shout from Kate and wondered how many more she would hear. 'Maybe I should go up to my room to study, it may be quieter,' she thought.

"Kate? Are you freaking or mad or…"

"I'm…I'm not sure yet. Twenty million dollars?"

"Uh, huh."

"Rick, can you…?" Kate paused a moment and said, "This is the money talk, isn't it?"

"For the most part."

"For the most part?"

"Yeah, I can fill you in on just about anything you should know, but Chris wants to meet you to go into more detail, and probably make sure I introduce you to Steve, since I sometimes forget things like that."

"Steve?"

"My lawyer."

"Lawyer? Oh." Kate suddenly felt a heavy weight on her heart. She expected something like this but it still hit her hard about a pre-nuptial agreement. Why else to see his lawyer? 'Do I know any lawyers? Should I get one to represent me?' she thought and as soon as she did quickly discarded it. 'I trust him', she thought, and started listening again.

"…and Chris needs your signature so you can access the funds and to make sure you're joint on all my accounts. Steve…well Steve wants to meet you personally because he needs to see for himself why I refuse to follow his advice about the pre-nup. I told him I know it was needed for Meredith and Gina, but you're not going to be my third wife, you're going to be my _last_ wife. Really, in my mind, my _only_ wife."

In the midst of his words it hit her; he doesn't want a pre-nup? Her mind had a hard time grasping what else he was saying as her heart soared again. The heavy weight gone in an instant. It wasn't about the money, it was about the trust. She trusts him with all she has, with all she is, and now she knows he trusts her the same way.

Wait! What did he just say? _Only_ wife? Her mind was swirling around in a whirlwind of emotions. Her heart pounding and she found it hard to breathe. The strength of the emotions she was feeling for him were so strong that if she wasn't already sitting, she would have to sit down.

While he was speaking her hands were clasped and her head bowed over them, she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes with all the love she felt for him pouring out of hers, and without a conscious thought, speaking directly from her heart she said, "Rick?"

"Yes Kate."

"Will you marry me?"

The silence that greeted her question was deafening. It seemed to fill every nook and cranny in the room and left nothing untouched. It was heavy. It was deep. It seemed to last forever and Kate began to wonder if she'd made a terrible mistake. There was no change of expression on his face. Nothing. He simply sat there looking at her without any emotion.

Her mind started to think of ways to make it sound like a joke when the silence shattered into a million little pieces, each one melting away to leave a bemused, but growing and wonder filled smile on his face.

He swallowed. He swallowed again and tried to talk. The third time he tried, something finally came out, "Wait…"

He swallowed again and said, "Please, wait right here." He stood up from his chair and started towards his bedroom. Turning back to her, he put up his hand, palm out and said, "Stay there…please just…stay," and he disappeared through the door.

Kate sat quietly but although her body wasn't moving, inside volcanos were erupting, thunder was booming and lightning bolts were surging through her veins. Outwardly calm she felt earthquakes shaking her insides to jelly. She couldn't get up to leave even if she wanted. She was planted on this couch, stuck here as if with glue and nothing could make her move. He smiled.

He didn't just smile, he freaking _glowed_! He looked like he was twenty again, like those early photos on the first books she bought. He looked as if every wish he'd ever wished in his life had just been granted, like every present he ever wanted had just been handed to him. She sat watching his bedroom door.

He smiled.

A few seconds later he came out and he had a small, black velvet box in his hand. She looked up at his face and the same glow was there but his eyes were moist.

"I bought this after our first weekend in the Hamptons. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, that life _without_ you would be nothing less than empty."

She looked briefly at the box in his hand but then her eyes, drawn like a magnet, looked back into his again. She felt tears form as he said, "When I told you I intend to marry you, I saw the look of surprise on your face, but Kate, I have been so in love with you for a long, long time."

"I've been going over again and again where and how I would propose, but every idea I had seemed trite, over the top and somewhat theatrical, and Kate, I just want honest. I just want to tell you with all my heart how deeply I love you, how perfectly you fit into my life, my mind, my _soul_."

Tears were freely flowing from both sets of eyes, but they never left each other. Kate kept her eyes firmly on his and no words he said could ever convey more than what his eyes were telling her now. It really was as intimate and special as she'd ever dreamed, and her smile matched his as her eyes handed her heart to him. Fully. Completely. Entirely his.

He knelt in front of her and opened the box. It was perfect. Not the gaudy, ostentatious thing that someone would associate with Richard Castle, but delicate, simple yet incredibly romantic. It was perfect.

"When I went to Tiffany's I told them I wanted a one of a kind ring, for a woman who epitomized the term 'extraordinary', and worked with the jeweler on the design."

He took her hand and said, "There is no other ring like this in the world, just like there is no other woman like you in the world." He smiled and added, "I never expected you to beat me to the punch though…"

"Neither did I," she interrupted softly.

"We're partners Kate, in every conceivable way the word can be used, so let's do this together."

Tears were still falling but her smile almost hurt her face as she nodded her head and said, "Yes."

"Katherine Beckett…"

"Richard Castle…"

And then together, "Will you marry me?"

They looked into each other's eyes and the joy each saw in the other almost overwhelmed them. Without thinking about it at all they both answered at once, "Oh _Yes_!"

He put the ring on her finger and leaned in to kiss her. It was soft, sweet, tender, loving, emotional, and sensuous beyond anything she'd ever felt before.

He pulled back and she saw the twinkle appear in his eye as he said, "Wow! I thought kissing you as my girlfriend was amazing, but kissing you as my fiancée? Wow!"

Then came his cheeky grin as he said, "I can hardly wait to see what kissing you as my wife will be like!"

She smiled, leaned towards him and whispered in his ear, "You have _no_ idea."

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**AUTHORS NOTE:** **Well you all deserve a deeply felt apology for this taking so long. I had a horrible case of writers block about 4,000 words in and had no idea where to go with it when hurricane Irene hit and then things got messy. Electric Utility employees don't get to say "I have a story to write, hold on a bit" when a hurricane or tropical storm hits. However, when it was over I **_**still**_** had writers block till last weekend when suddenly the dam started to burst and first a trickle and then a flood of words came out. As usual, this story went somewhere I had absolutely no intention of going yet, but my muse is very bossy and I know better than to ignore her. To those of you who wrote and asked where it was, I hope Chapter 17 didn't disappoint. RG**


	18. Chapter 18, Start Spreading the News

Is Forever Possible,

Chapter 18, Start spreading the news

by RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: I do not own, and have never owned, ABC, Castle, or any of the wonderful actors who make it so special. I've given up on the lottery, I've decided it's rigged against me.

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As she walked into the precinct from the parking garage Kate smiled to herself. One hand was in the pocket of her dress slacks as she felt the ring that had been on her finger only moments before.

'I'm engaged,' she thought to herself, and then added, 'I proposed to Richard Castle and I'm engaged! Me. Kate Beckett, the girl who always has one out the door.' She shook her head at the wonder of that.

She was both excited and nervous about the day ahead. She knew it would be hard to keep from everyone, especially her team or Lanie, and so far the only people who knew were she and Rick, Alexis, her dad, Martha, Paula, and of course most of the New York Russian community who happened to be at the Christening party for Ivan on Saturday.

Her hand still in her pocket, she cradled the ring in her palm as she recalled Friday evening. She smiled remembering the look Alexis had on her face when he called her back into the office, which quickly turned to squeals of joy as she saw the ring on Kate's finger.

"_You__did__it?__You__finally__asked__her?__Oh__Dad__I__'__m__so__proud__of__you!__And__Kate...Kate__I__am__so__happy__you__said__yes!_"

"She _asked_me _Pumpkin_." _Seeing__the__look__on__her__face__he__said,__ "__Really,__she__did!__Tell__her__Kate.__"_

_Nodding her head yes Kate replied, "I really did Alexis." Then with a big grin she added, "A momentary lack of awareness of what I was doing but I think he's going to hold me to it."_

_Putting his arms around Kate he said to her and Alexis, "Damn right I am! You have any idea how long I've waited for my 'Forever'?"_

_Turning her head to his she replied, "As long as I've been waiting for my 'One and Done'?"_

_Watching the both of them interact, Alexis smiled and said, "I'm seriously going to get pimples hanging around you two, aren't I?"_

_Rick__opened__up__his__other__arm__and__Alexis__joined__them__in__the__hug.__ '__My__family,__' __Kate__thought__to__herself__and__then__said__it__out__loud.__Alexis__kissed__her__father__'__s__cheek__then__turned__to__Kate__and__whispered,__ "__Yes__Kate,_our_family.__"_

Kate smiled remembering how Rick had her call her dad right away as he called Martha, and how thrilled both were at the news. It seemed that the only people surprised by Kate's actions were she and Rick.

In the elevator with one hand on her engagement ring she put her other around her mother's ring and thought how happy she'd be right now. A timid smile came out as Kate also thought how much she would be laughing at how it happened. 'Mom would have known he's the one for me from the start,' Kate thought, and missed her again as she thought of being married without her. But holding the ring around her neck she remembered her father's words that Jo would always be with Kate; that she would never be further away than a thought and a smile, and all the love that Kate had for her mother came close but could never compare to the love that Jo had for her.

Kate closed her eyes to compose herself as the elevator was getting closer to her floor. She could do this; she could keep it from everyone, at least for a little while till Rick showed up. He was her partner and he deserved to be there when everyone was told.

She again thought to herself, 'When did I become such a girl?' but knew it was the day he came into her life. The beginnings of a foundation were set when she discovered his books after her mother died; but really it happened when he made her look at the world the way she used to, the way he always does.

When he made her see there was color where she only saw black and white; that there were subtle shades of thoughts and feelings, where she only saw the starkness of reality. Unbidden came the thought once again wondering what angel had sent her to him, and the tiny voice that sounded like her mother whispering this was meant to be.

The ding sounded to let her know the elevator arrived, so she pulled her hand out of her pocket, put her mothers ring inside her blouse, and when the doors opened she was Detective Kate Beckett. Kate was still there, but standing off to the side, letting the detective take over for now. She walked to her desk, took off her jacket and put her purse in the bottom drawer before sitting down.

"Morning Boss, how was the party?" Ryan asked.

"It was fun and Alexis looked just stunning," Kate replied as he came up to her desk. "Anything happen over the weekend?

"Just a pop and drop Saturday afternoon and we caught the girl Sunday."

Kate looked up from signing on her computer and asked, "Girl?"

"Yeah, caught her boyfriend cheating on her and decided he'd never do that again." He shrugged his shoulders and added, "We picked her up the next day at church."

She raised her eyebrow and he added, "She thought as long as she went to church it was ok…if you're a good person it should be ok to kill somebody."

"You're kidding."

"Nope, she's in the choir and all anyone could say was how nice she is and she has a nice singing voice."

"Yeah well maybe they got a choir in prison, 'cause she won't be signing anywhere else for a long time."

They both looked up as Esposito came up to the desk and laid the folder with all the information on Beckett's desk. "She's on her way downtown and the DA says it's an open and shut case."

Kate opened the file and noticed that not only did they crack the case quickly, they also followed proper procedure and the paperwork was all up to date. She felt a thrill of pride for her team; they stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.

Thinking of that reminded her of the NY Yankees and then meeting Joe Torre and that reminded her of Castle and the next thing she knew she had a grin on her face remembering her dad's reaction to her not getting an autograph for him.

"Uh, Beckett? You still with us?"

"She's gotta be thinking about Castle bro, look at the grin."

Looking up at them both she said, "Wrong! Thinking about my dad. Going to make another bet Esposito? I can use the lunch money, Lanie and I had a great time last week."

"Yeah, about that Beckett, I was betting Ryan here, not you."

"Money was up, the bet was offered and no names were given. It was open to whoever wanted to bet with you…and I won!" Kate gave him a big smile as she turned around to face the two of them. "And besides, do _you_ want to tell Lanie that she has to pay you back for Friday's lunch?"

Ryan chuckled at Esposito's discomfort and returned to his desk while Esposito simply shook his head and returned to his.

Watching the two of them Kate smiled and then remembered something. "Hey Esposito, was Lanie's bearclaw still warm?"

With a big grin on his face he said, "Sure was, and she was soooo happy! When's Castle coming in, I owe him for the extra points."

While he was thinking of Lanie, Kate decided to try for the secret behind the warm bearclaws. "Points? What for? So you have a place closer where you pick them up. What makes that so special that you want to thank him?"

Without thinking Esposito started to speak, "Oh no Beckett, the place isn't close at all, actually…" he stopped suddenly as a paper ball hit him in the head. He turned to Ryan and said, "Hey!"

"Dude, I thought it was a secret."

They both turned to Beckett who had a little smile on her face and Esposito glared at her. "Need any other days off in the future Beckett? I think I'm busy then."

Laughing, she said, "It was worth a shot." She turned around and faced her PC, opening up some files to make sure this weekend's case was fully covered. She was proud of her 'boys', they were great detectives. But what warmed her heart even more was the feel of the ring in her pocket, and how much better it felt on her hand.

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Rick walked in and placed a coffee on her desk. Looking up she smiled as he said to the crew, "Good Morning Detectives! How was your weekend?"

"Bro, just so you know, she's trying to find out the bearclaw secret, but I wouldn't cave in."

"Yeah, because someone you work with has a great pitching arm."

Esposito turned to Ryan and said, "Shhh!"

Kate laughed and said, "They had a case this weekend, but managed to close it a day later."

Sitting in his chair Rick said, "Hey that's great!"

Picking up her coffee and taking a sip she said, "Yeah, and I'm kinda sorry I missed it. It sounded really freaky."

His eyes lit up and he said, "Freaky?"

Esposito and Ryan were looking at Beckett and Castle and didn't say a thing. Beckett seemed to know what she was doing.

Kate looked at Rick and said, "Yeah, really freaky. Lying on his back you'd think nothing was wrong, but when he was turned over..." she shivered and looked away for a moment before continuing, "there were claw marks made from a very large animal, and he was partially eaten."

Rick looked at Kate and back at Esposito and Ryan saying, "No way! Claw marks? Did Lanie work on it or Perlmutter?"

"What do you need to know that for bro?" Esposito asked.

"Lanie will tell me what she found, Perlmutter barely talks to me."

"Dude, he hardly talks to anybody." Ryan said.

"Well, hopefully Lanie will be there to let me know how big the claws were." Thinking for a moment he asked, "What kind of animal was it?"

Intently looking at Esposito and Ryan, Castle didn't see Kate wink at them, and then Ryan slowly shook his head as Esposito said, "That was kinda freaky bro. There were a few prints left from the blood. Huge!"

Ryan nodded his head in agreement and said, "They looked massive, almost like a giant wolf or something."

Leaning forward on his chair Castle asked, "It was a dog or wolf?"

Shaking his head no Ryan answered, "They don't know man. CSU said they've never seen anything like them before and sent photos over to the Bronx Zoo."

"The zoo?" Castle asked.

Giving him a weird look Esposito said, "Yeah bro, the zoo. Anybody's gonna know about animals it has to be the zoo."

His eyes widening Castle said, "I never thought of that. Yeah, they _would_ be the people to contact wouldn't they?"

He quickly reached into his pocket for a notepad and pen and furiously started writing. Kate smiled at him and then turned to wink at the boys who had grins on their faces.

Suddenly Castle stopped writing and looked up, "Do you know who they contacted at the zoo?"

Esposito said, "No, why?"

"I've been making donations to them for years now and maybe I can pull a few strings to make sure they work on this as fast as possible."

Esposito had a blank look on his face while Kate coughed to cover a laugh and turned back to her PC. Ryan stepped up and surprised them both when he said, "That would be a big help Castle! Don't make any calls till I find out who they contacted, but this may help us find out what type of vicious animal is running around in New York."

Nodding his head Esposito said, "Ravenous."

Still looking at her PC Kate added, "Yeah, if the body was any indication."

Castle's eyes got even wider as he said, "That's right! It's still out there, isn't it?"

Esposito shuddered and said, "Even with my piece out of the holster, I wouldn't want to meet up with that thing during the day, let alone at night."

"Yeah, I told Jenny to stay as far in the open and away from alleys and doorways as possible," Ryan added.

"I have to call Alexis and mother! That thing could be stalking them right now!"

As he reached for his phone Kate reached out her hand and said, "Don't bother Rick. It's all taken care of."

Looking up at her he asked, "It is?"

Before Kate could say anything else Karpowski walked by and said, "God Castle, you're so easy! It was a jealous girl who hit her boyfriend with a tire iron."

Shaking her head at him she walked to the break room as Kate, Esposito and Ryan all started to laugh.

Rick looked at them all and slowly put his notebook back in his pocket. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Ha. Ha. Just for that, don't be surprised when I don't invite you and your significant others for a sail on the yacht."

Kate looked at him while Ryan asked, "Yacht? What yacht?"

"Yeah bro, you buyin' a yacht?"

Kate said, "I thought it was in North Carolina."

Ryan and Esposito both looked at her while Castle smirked and said, "Not any more. Last night I spoke to Chris and he's having a crew return it to the Hamptons. It'll be all nice and shiny in two weeks when we have the time off."

He sighed and said, "Too bad none of you will get to see it."

Looking first at Kate, Ryan turned to Rick and said, "Dude, you may want to rephrase that."

Rick looked at Kate and saw her right hand was up and her fingers were rubbing against her thumb. He gave a timid smile and said, "Kate?"

"My fingers are itching Castle. Know any ears nearby that deserve to be pulled?"

Rick gulped at the look in her eyes and Ryan and Esposito started to chuckle when Captain Montgomery opened his office door and said, "Beckett! In my office."

As she started to get up he added, "You too Castle." Then disappeared back in his office, making sure everyone saw him closing the blinds.

As the two walked into the Captain's office and closed the door behind them, Ryan asked Esposito, "What do you suppose _that__'__s_ all about?"

"No idea bro, just hope it's nothing bad."

"Me too."

Closing the door behind them Rick and Kate sat in the two chairs in front of the Captain's desk as he looked up and smiled at them.

"Think that worked?"

"I think so Captain," Kate replied. "Thank you."

Rick smiled and said, "Yeah, didn't want them or anyone to know we asked for this meeting."

The Captain leaned back in his chair and said, "Ok, what's so secret you had to go to this extreme to talk to me?"

Kate smiled and took her left hand out of her pocket; on her finger was her engagement ring. "After our families, we wanted you to know first Roy."

Rick added, "It's going to come out soon so we figured we'd better be the ones to tell everyone, and we wanted to tell you first."

A huge smile on his face, Captain Montgomery got up and walked to Kate who also rose from her chair. He opened his arms and gave her a big hug. She hugged him back and he whispered in her ear, "I am so happy for you Kate, I've known you were the perfect match for each other for years now."

She whispered back, "So did I Roy, I just didn't want to admit how much I need him."

He pulled back, let go of Kate and put out his hand to Rick. As they shook hands he said, "It should go without saying that if you hurt her they will never find your body."

Rick looked at Kate and Roy saw how much love he had for her in that brief glance. Turning back to Roy he said, "That's something you never need to worry about."

"Good," Roy said before returning back to his seat and they all sat down again.

"Now for practical matters," he said looking at the newly engaged couple. "Everyone here knows you've been together for the past few months, and more than a few thought it's been years, and frankly I think you should have been together long before this myself."

Holding up his hand to forestall Kate's protest he said, "That's the past and this is now." Pointing to the ring on her finger he added, "That ring changes some things and others will remain the same."

He looked intently at Kate and said, "Kate, if you think the press coverage was bad before, it's only going to get worse, we will all need to be prepared for that."

He noticed Rick nodding his head in agreement and putting his hand on Kate's. Another smile came on his face as he continued, "But one thing I don't see changing is your partnership. While you were both crazy for each other and staying apart it worked, and then when you got your heads on straight and got together it still worked. I can't see that changing because of a ring."

Kate let out the breath she was unknowingly holding and said, "Thank you Roy. That was something we were concerned with and it's a relief to know it won't be a problem."

He nodded and replied, "Don't misunderstand me you two, if Rick was an officer then you both would not have been allowed to work together once you started dating, let alone being engaged."

He turned to Rick and said, "But since you're a civilian, those rules don't apply to you." Now looking at both of them he added, "But let me caution you both, if it looks like emotions are getting in the way of police work, then the partnership changes with Rick either staying in the precinct when the team goes out, or he is no longer part of the team at all."

They looked at each other with solemn expressions as he said, "Is that understood?"

They both answered, "Yes Sir."

Smiling, Roy said, "Good. I'll call an immediate department meeting so we can tell everyone and get this over with," he paused a moment and added. "And I better call the Commissioner about the media circus we're going to have around here for a while."

Rick turned to Kate and said, "Better call Lanie, she won't want to miss this."

As all three were getting up Kate said, "Sir? Can this meeting be set for about thirty minutes from now?"

Smiling, he replied, "I believe it can, why?"

"I think we'd better go down to see Lanie first, and not have her find out with everyone else or she might not want to be a bridesmaid."

Roy nodded his head, chuckled and said, "No problem. You two head down to Lanie and I'll set up the meeting for…" he looked at his watch, "9:30, that should give you about twenty five minutes to talk to her and then bring her up with you."

"Thank you Roy," Kate said as she reached for the door. 

"Kate! The ring!" Rick exclaimed just before she opened the door.

"Oh wow! That would have let the cat out of the bag earlier than we wanted." She took the ring off and put it back in her pocket. Standing up straight she looked at Rick and then at her Captain and said, "Ready?"

Both men nodded yes and she opened the door and quickly left with Rick following right behind. As she passed his desk walking towards the elevator Esposito said, "Hey Beckett, what was that about?" But before she could say anything the Captain called out and told him to get everyone ready for a department meeting at 9:30.

Esposito said, "Yes Sir!" and turned back to see Beckett and Castle entering the elevator. He sighed and hoped he'd find out what happened in the Captain's office before the meeting.

Inside the elevator Rick turned to Kate and said, "That went well. Hopefully Lanie will understand you not calling her first thing Friday night."

Kate smiled back at him and said, "Oh she will. She patted the pocket of her pants adding, "I'll put the ring back on when we walk into her office."

"Sounds like a plan my dear Detective, sounds like a plan."

Five minutes later Kate was surprised that the entire precinct hadn't heard Lanie's scream when she saw the ring.

"Eeeeeeeeee! Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! This is for real? It's not a joke? You're really engaged to writer man here?"

As Kate could not get a word in edgewise she merely nodded to each of Lanie's questions. "Really!" If possible her voice got even higher as she gave another scream and threw herself into Kate's arms to give her a hug.

Kate was wondering if Lanie lifted weights as her hug was squeezing the air out of her lungs. "Lanie!" she managed to croak out before she let go of Kate and pulled back to look in her eyes.

"When?"

"Friday night."

"Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my…wait! Friday? And you didn't tell me till now?"

"Lanie if I called you Friday night and you gave the same reaction then as now; don't you think Esposito would wonder what was going on?"

"Esposito? Oh my God! I have to call Javi and tell him."

Kate put out her arm to hold Lanie back and said, "No Lanie, we'll be telling the department in about ten more minutes. I just wanted you to know about it before we told everyone else."

"Oh, can I be there too? I have to see the look on Javi and Ryan's face, not to mention Karpowski's team!"

"That's why we came down now Lanie, to bring you back up with us," Rick said.

Lanie turned to him and jumped into his arms to give him a hug and said, "You finally got your head out of your butt and proposed? Way to go Castle!"

"Ahhh…"

"Actually Lanie, we proposed to each other at the same time."

Lanie turned from Rick to look at Kate and asked, "What?"

"We proposed to each other at the same time."

"How did you manage that?"

Rick shrugged his shoulders and left this up to Kate to explain. "Ball's in your court love."

Kate gave a tight smile and said under her breath, "Thanks a lot."

Rick smiled at her as Lanie looked from one to the other and said, "Love? You two have pet names?"

Kate chuckled and said, "Get with the program Lanie, we've been together for four months for crying out loud, of course we do."

Rick, looking at his watch said, "Five more minutes ladies, I think we should be heading up."

As the three turned to the elevator Lanie said, "It's been mentioned before Castle, but hurt my girl and I know how to make it look like natural causes."

As they entered the elevator Rick looked at Kate but spoke to Lanie when he said, "Lanie, the last thing I ever want to do is take that look out of her eyes."

.

.

Forty five minutes later, all the congratulations finished from the Homicide division and a few from the other floors, Kate was sitting at her desk looking at some paperwork with Rick sitting beside her. "Still creepy, Castle."

He pouted, "How can it be creepy when I'm looking at you with adoration?"

Picking her head up from the paperwork Kate replied with a smile, "You always look at me with adoration."

He smiled back and said, "True, true, and that's how I will always look at you."

Esposito piped up from his desk, "Even with giant man-eating wolfs around Castle?"

"Hey, thanks for reminding me, I'm still mad at you."

Ryan walked by with a cup of tea and said, "Don't blame us Castle; it was your girl here that started it."

Kate lifted her head, "Girl?"

"Uh…"

"I know you don't mind working in Records, but how does 'Kevin Ryan, grocery store patrol' sound to you?"

"Um…right boss. Got it." Ryan hurried to his desk and sat down while Rick smiled at Kate.

"Grocery patrol? That was good Kate."

"That can be done for you too Castle," Kate replied, giving him the glare that has made criminals beg for mercy; the same one that Esposito and Ryan will do anything to avoid. But Castle was impervious to it, he just smiled even more, threw her a kiss and said, "I'll get you another coffee, looks like you need one." He got up and headed for the break room. Kate looked at him in surprise as he walked away. They were supposed to leave in a few minutes and it looks like he forgot.

While Kate was thinking and looking back at her paperwork, Ryan turned to Esposito and whispered, "It just bounces right off him, like bullets off Superman."

Esposito whispered back, "Yeah, I don't understand it, he ain't no Superman."

Without looking up Kate said, "_I_ think he is…and ladies, isn't it about time you got back to work?"

The two detectives went back to their paperwork and Kate smiled to herself. 'Why was I surprised he had a brand new, never worn, Superman costume in his closet?' Kate thought as she waited for him to return. She looked down at the ring on her finger, appreciating the old fashioned setting that held the diamonds closer to the band and not standing out too far. On either side of the diamonds were two of the most beautiful sapphires she'd ever seen, the color of his eyes.

She was amazed once again at how the two of them thought alike. Maddie had called and left a message on Saturday that the present she'd ordered for Rick had arrived. Like her ring that he designed for her, this was a special item that Kate designed for him.

_Sunday evening Maddie dropped by to her apartment and gave her the box, she opened it and was struck by how it looked in person, the drawing designs just didn't do it justice. While she was looking at Rick's present Maddie was telling her about the date she had with Jean the night before._

"_Becks it was the most amazing place I'd ever been to. It's hard for either of us to get out on a weekend, but to go out to dinner is crazy because every decent restaurant knows who we are and would make a big scene out of our being there."_

"_So where did you go?"_

"_Someplace called NNBH, although the sign said Murray's Palace Theater. Becks you would not believe the place, it was amazing and I felt like I stepped back into the 1930's."_

_Kate smiled, remembering that perfect date a few weeks ago. "Sounds nice Maddie, what was the movie?"_

"_They were playing…hey; I never mentioned it was a movie theater!" Madison looked closely at Kate and said, "You've been there, haven't you?"_

_Kate's eyes crinkled and with a chuckle said, "Yeah, Maddie, Rick brought me there a few weeks ago."_

_Then a big smile came on her face and she asked, "Isn't it the neatest place?" And just like that they were talking like two high school girls about the great date each had there. _

_While laughing at something Maddie put her hand on Kate's and noticed the ring on her finger. "Becks! What's this?"_

"_Geez Maddie, it took you long enough to notice! I've only been waving it in your face since you got here."_

_Holding up Kate's hand Maddie looked at the engagement ring on her finger. "God Becks, it's gorgeous…and it is so you!"_

_Looking at her ring Kate said, "Yeah, I really, really love it," She looked up back to Maddie and said, "I never would have believed a year ago that Richard Castle could do subtle."_

"_I__know__what__you__mean.__When__I__met__him__last__year__I__thought__that__whole__larger__than__life__personae__was__the__real__him.__" __She__paused__a__moment__then__looked__back__at__the__ring.__ "__But__whenever__he__'__s__with__you__Becks,__it__'__s_all_about__you.__"_

"_Huh? It's all about me?"_

"_Kate, when we were at Rocco's that night I made sure to look my best. Not only was I representing Q3, but I was out with one of the cities most eligible bachelors…a man you told me you had no interest in if you recall."_

_Kate grimaced and said, "I recall."_

"_I didn't realize it at the time, but most of our conversation, other than the food, was about you. And when you walked into the room, there was no one else there as far as he was concerned."_

"_Really?"_

"_Really. You were too busy trying to bring me in to see it, but I did. That's why I said the things I did about Castle babies." There was a short pause and Maddie grinned and said, "So how's that coming along by the way?"_

_Kate swatted her friends shoulder and said, "Maddie!" Then a few seconds later added with a big grin, "Very well, actually."_

_The two friends looked at each other and started to giggle._

Playing with the ring on her hand, and waiting for Rick to come out of the break room so they can leave, Kate thought of the present, and thought tonight would be a good time to give it to him; especially since Paula arranged for at least three interviews on the morning news shows tomorrow. With nothing to do but wait for Rick to return, she thought about the call they made to Paula on Saturday morning.

"_Rick? What are you doing up at, what time is it? 7am? Why are you calling me at 7am, do I need to squash something embarrassing again?"_

_Looking a bit put out by that, and Kate's holding in a laugh, he replied, "Actually Paula, I thought you might like to know that Kate and I got engaged last night."_

_After a few moments of silence on the phone he said, "Paula? You still there?"_

"_It's about damn time!"_

"_Paula."_

"_Seriously, you have any idea how long I've been expecting this?"_

"_Paula?"_

"_Rick, you've been mooning over her for years!"_

"_Paula! You're on the speaker phone!"_

"_Is Kate there?"_

"_I'm here Paula."_

"_He's been mooning after you for years Kate, it's about damn time!"_

"_Oh geez," Rick said._

_Laughing, Kate replied, "Well it took me a while to see past his flaws Paula."_

"_Flaws? What flaws? I don't have any flaws!"_

_Paula interrupted, "Ok, I know you're not just calling because you love me, so you want to make sure this goes out through you, am I right?"_

"_That's right Paula," Rick said._

"_It's late, but I can probably get it into the Sunday edition, that will make a big splash."_

"_Paula, I'd rather wait till after Monday please, I want to be able to tell my friends and co-workers at the precinct myself, not have them read it in the paper."_

"_That won't be as big a splash but…wait a minute. Kate, will you have any problem standing next to Rick as he makes an announcement to the press?"_

_Kate looked at Rick and smiled, "No Paula. I won't have a problem with that."_

"_Good, then how about we talk to the press around noon on Monday? Let's make that at 11am. That should give you the time to tell family and friends, and we can still get it to the press before they hear it from anyone but us."_

"_Is that ok for you Kate?" Rick asked._

"_That sounds good Paula. We'll probably have told everyone by 10 anyway."_

"_Good, by doing it at 11 it makes for the noontime news, and can get on the afternoon and evening talk and entertainment shows."_

"_Sounds good Paula, where do you want us to be? Kate could have a case and not be able to attend or could get called away while there."_

"_I think in front of your apartment Rick, you have the space for the press, but let me think it over. I have a couple of bookstores that would also love to be the venue for this announcement."_

"_Thanks Paula, call me when you have the right location set up, I'll pass it on to Kate."_

"_Gotcha…and hey, really, congratulations to you both."_

"_Thanks Paula," they said in unison which caused them to smile and again get lost in the others eyes. _

Rick came up to her desk and said, "I was going to get you that coffee but then remembered we have the press conference in about half an hour."

"I was wondering when you were going to remember that," Kate replied. 'Luckily it's only a few blocks from here so we have plenty of time to get there ahead of everybody else."

Putting out his arm, he offered his elbow to her saying, "In that case Detective, may I escort you to the elevator?" His eyebrows were jumping up and down and he had a cheeky grin on his face.

Looking at his arm, then looking up at him Kate replied, "You know? I don't believe I've ever gotten lost finding the elevator," she paused a moment and with a twinkle in her eye said, "Unlike some author I know who took the stairs after absconding with evidence."

As she knew he would he zeroed in on one thing and then turned it around to his advantage, "Absconding? Absconding? Why my dear Detective, my _extremely__large_ vocabulary must be rubbing off on you!"

Putting her arm in his she lightly punched him in the shoulder, "Leave it to you to make something innocent sound dirty."

Wiggling his eyebrows at her, he said with a grin, "Ahhh, but those thoughts are never far away where you're concerned."

As they entered the elevator she turned to him with a smoky look and said in a low voice, "I think there's nothing sexier than swordplay Rick;" and as she'd done before, the final 'k' sound seemed to last forever and she knew that he was completely puddled. She loved that she could do that to him so easily. It made her feel so sexy, she actually shivered inside wishing they were not in the precinct elevator, or going to a press conference.

Stunned by her words Rick just stared at her and slowly noticed how large her irises were becoming. The thought going through his mind, 'Damn, we have to come right back here after the conference.'

As they both leaned back in the elevator Kate smiled to herself, 'foreplay with Richard Castle was a 24 hour event…I so wish we didn't have to come right back here after seeing the press.'

His pinky finger found hers and they wrapped themselves around each other as the elevator slowly made its way to the ground floor.

.

.

They were in the back room of the store and Kate felt the butterflies of nervousness growing. As much as she wanted to support Rick, this part of his life was still difficult for her. The private Kate Beckett still wasn't comfortable with what was quickly becoming the public Kate Beckett, and this was going to put the private Kate out in front of everybody.

Paula watched her and thought about all that led up to today. She saw the nerves in Kate, she saw the fears that being in the public brought, but she also saw the determination to be there, to stand by and support Rick.

Paula had been with Rick since his second book, and she saw his life with Meredith and Gina, and neither one was the support, the trusted friend that Kate was. She'd worried about his fixation with Kate from the very first, but seeing where he was now she knew no one else in his life to this point was as fierce in their support, and their love for him as Kate Beckett.

Both Meredith and Gina were users. They each used Richard Castle in their own way to further their ambitions, but Kate…Kate was different. If Paula thought of her at all before they started to date, it was as a character in a book. Detective Kate Beckett was a one dimensional character, with less reality to her than Nikki Heat. Having only seen her once, she wasn't impressed and wanted Rick to just sleep with her and get it over with.

But she learned that Kate was much more than that when she called to be part of his book signing ceremony. Still not convinced that it wasn't a ploy of some kind, Paula hit her with 'hurt him and you will regret it.' What surprised her was when Kate shook her hand and said it would be nothing compared to what she will do to anyone who hurts Rick.

Paula Haas didn't find it easy to make friends, she had very few in her life, but in just a little over a month Kate had become one to her. They were both fierce in their protection of Rick and his family, yet found they had so much more in common.

Looking at Kate she saw her biting her lower lip. 'Not good,' she thought, 'I have to do something here.' She put her hand on Kate's arm and said, "Hey, don't worry. You'll do great out there."

Kate smiled back at her and mouthed 'thank you' when Rick, who understood and appreciated what Paula was doing, piped in saying, "Her? What about me?"

Paula turned to him and said, "Geez Rick, like you need any more encouragement!"

Kate chuckled at the interchange and Paula knew she'd be fine out there. Looking out at the press one more time she turned to Rick and Kate saying, "Ok kids, it's showtime!"

They walked out of the Employees Only door into the children's section and the sounds of whispered talking ceased. Kate looked around and saw the room was packed.

Rick walked up to the podium, adjusted the microphone, and with Kate standing by his side he looked out at the gathering. Every newspaper, magazine and television news show that followed the entertainment industry was represented there, and not just for New York, there were a few national ones as well as some from Europe and Asia. Richard Castle's books were best sellers in most of the world.

Rick gave his thousand watt smile and thanked everyone for coming. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a slip of paper and said he had a prepared statement to read before the floor was opened to questions.

Kate knew he had written something for the press release, but she thought it was just for Paula to send out, not something he was going to read. Before reading he turned to her and smiled, a soft, loving smile that conveyed a novels' worth of words, and then he turned to the press.

"Sometime in your life, if you're very, very lucky, you meet that one person who fills in all the empty spaces that surround you, that are within you, and that have kept you from finding the happiness that we dream of. The one person, who, despite it being an over used phrase, completes you. The person who makes you a better man because of who she is, because of what she is, and because of the love she has."

Kate listened as he spoke; she was captured by his words, the inflections in his voice, and the emotions he barely contained. She looked at the members of the press, the few customers and employees of the store, and their eyes were all on Rick. They were as caught up in his words as she was, and more than one was actually leaning forward on their seat. Cameras were clicking and video cameras were recording, but other than Rick's voice, there was no other sound.

"A few years ago I found that woman," he chuckled and continued, "Or rather, she found me." He turned to Kate and said, "Detective Kate Beckett came to talk to me about a case and I was amazed and fascinated by her at the same time. Over the years, I realized that not only did I want to base a character on her for my books; I learned that I needed her in my life. I needed her eyes to see the world around me in a different light. I needed her laughter to lighten my heart and remind me that I indeed had one." This last garnered a few chuckles from the crowd.

"I _need_ her to remind me every day how truly wonderful life can be." He reached out and took Kate's hand, "Today I am beyond happy to announce that Katherine Beckett and I are engaged to be married."

As the audience applauded Kate leaned in and they kissed. Pulling away Rick turned back to the press, let go of Kate's hand and said, "Who has two thumbs and is the luckiest man in the world?" Pulling his hands up so both thumbs were pointing to his chest, Rick said with a huge grin, "This guy!"

Everyone started to laugh but the only voice he heard was Kate's. Her laughter was like perfume to him, he couldn't get enough of it. He took her hand in his, turned back to the press and said with a grin, "Any questions?" Every hand rose but he said, "No? Then I guess…"

Kate swatted him on the arm and he laughed, and then he pointed to the reporter who was the first to put up her hand, to ask her question.

.

.

Forty minutes later they were walking back into the precinct. "I know they make a great cup of coffee, and they have pastries, but who would expect Panini's at Barnes and Noble?"

"I never did, but all I care about now is how good they smell. I can't wait to get back to my desk and take a bite." She paused a moment then said in a more aggravated voice, "Did we lose the hounds?"

Rick sighed, the conference hadn't gone without some up's and down's to it. "Yes Kate, they stopped following about half a block ago."

She simply shook her head as they walked in to the front door of the precinct.

They made it back to her desk and put the bags with food on it. He took off his jacket and draped it over his chair saying, "I'll get us something to drink," and headed off to the vending machine. She thought he'd probably come back with a water for her and some sugar filled soda for him, but you never knew with Rick.

Shaking her head while thinking of him with extra sugar, she looked at his chair with his jacket over the back and noticed a slip of paper sticking out of the inside pocket. She immediately knew this was the paper he'd read from when he spoke to the press and she reached out to get it. She was going to frame it and keep it forever.

It was folded over so she opened it to read, to again feel those beautiful words, and was shocked. The paper was blank. There was nothing written on it at all, but this was the same paper he'd taken out, put on the podium and supposedly read from! She saw him put it back in his pocket! She reached inside and felt around but there was nothing else there.

She sat back in her seat and looked at the paper again. He hadn't written anything, he just spoke from his heart. As the feelings for him rose in her again she thought, 'Oh God, I've got it bad.'

Kate carefully folded it back again and placed it in an envelope she pulled from her desk. His words had been recorded and she figured Paula could get her a transcript from one of the reporters. She fully intended to frame them, side by side. Lord, what his words could do to her!

A few minutes later he returned to her desk, surprising her with two coffees in his hand. "Here you are Detective, a nice, frothy, sinfully delicious…"

Fighting off the need to grab him and kiss him senseless she simply said, "Just gimme the cup Castle!"

Handing her cup over he said, "My oh my, caffeine deprivation, we may need to use an intravenous feed for you."

She had to get herself back into work mode. Turning her eyes on him she tried to stare him down with a glare, when that didn't work she quietly said, "At some point in time you're going to kiss me again, and then your ears will be in reach and believe me, it won't be pretty."

He grinned at her with a twinkle in his eye and whispered, "Detective! You're going to waste a perfectly good kiss just to twist my ear?"

She smiled back at him and said, "Hmmm, I may want to rethink that."

They unwrapped their sandwiches and started to eat, making all sorts of yummy sounds while they were doing so. Kate had no idea how hungry she was and actually finished before Rick. Sitting back in her chair she said, "Wow that was so good! We may have to stop there again for lunch."

Nodding his head, Rick finished his and said, "But we would have to bring it back here or eat somewhere else."

Seeing the confused look on her face he added, "Bookstore? Author? We probably couldn't even take a bite before we were interrupted."

Turning her head to the side she said, "Good point. I see my detective skills are rubbing off on you."

He smiled and was about to reply when her phone rang. She picked it up and then started writing on her pad. Knowing what was about to happen Rick picked up the remains of their lunch and got up from his chair. Putting on his jacket he headed towards the break room to throw away the wrappings as Kate stood up and grabbed her own jacket. "Meet you at the elevator," she said to him and he nodded.

At the elevator, she told him Esposito had been on the phone and where the body was.

Rick shook his head and said, "What is it about Lexington Avenue and bodies? Isn't this about the fourth or fifth this year?"

Giving him a quick smile as they entered the elevator, she said, "Well we'll find out soon enough. Looks like a robbery gone bad," as the doors closed behind them.

.

.

Twenty seven minutes later they arrived at the scene and Ryan came up to fill them in on what they'd found. Castle looked over into the crime scene and saw Perlmutter over the body with a clipboard in his hand. He walked over but stopped a few feet away, knelt down and asked Perlmutter what happened.

Perlmutter muttered something and waved his hand at him but looked up from the body when Kate walked up to them. He nodded to her and said, "Detective," then turning to Castle he said, "Writer."

Rick shook his head and Kate smiled as Perlmutter started to inform her of what he'd found. "This is just preliminary, I have to get him back to the morgue for more detailed information," he finished. Kate nodded and thanked him as Castle rose to his feet. He was about to say something when a voice called out, "Kate!"

He closed his eyes for a moment and thought, "No, the Universe wouldn't do this to me today. Tomorrow maybe, but not today.' But he heard the voice again, "Hello Kate."

"Hi Tom, what are you doing at a murder scene?"

"Robbery gone wrong." He came up to her and shook her hand. "You get to check the body but we still have a robbery to investigate."

As he spoke he looked over her shoulder, nodded his head briefly and said, "Castle."

Castle nodded back and said, "Demming." At that moment another man came up to give Tom some information. Tom listened for a moment then turned to Kate and said, "I'm sorry Kate, you haven't met my new partner." Turning to his partner he said, "Detective Ron Peck, this is Detective Kate Beckett." They shook hands and said hello. Kate then said, "Detective Peck, this is my partner…and fiancé, Richard Castle."

While Rick shook hands with Detective Peck, Tom said, "Fiancé? Congratulations Kate." Then turning to Rick he said, "And to you too Castle. You're a very lucky man you know."

While Rick smiled and thanked him, shaking his hand, Esposito came walking up to Kate, looked at the four and stopped short.

Kate turned to him and said, "What have you found Esposito?"

Looking between Kate, Demming and Castle, Esposito stuttered a bit and said, "Uh. Kev, I mean Ryan found something we think you should see."

Nodding her head Kate said, "Let's go," turned back to Tom and said, "Looks like a busy crime scene, I'll let you two get back to it."

Tom smiled and replied, "It was good to see you again Kate," then added, "I'll have Peck relay any info to you or your team. We're spread pretty thin and I have another robbery to go."

He smiled and putting out his hand said, "Congratulations again Kate. You deserve to be happy, and you look happy."

Kate shook his hand and said, "Thank you Tom. I appreciate it. And yes, I am very happy now." She paused for a moment then added, "We'll keep you in the loop too, letting Peck know what we find. Looks like our murderer may also your thief."

Tom thanked her as she turned to follow Esposito and Rick. His eyes still on her as she walked out of the room he sighed and turned to see his partner, Peck watching him. "I guess you two know each other?"

Tom gave a weak smile and said, "Yeah, you could say that, we worked together a couple of years ago on a case or two."

Peck nodded his head and said, "Oh," then turned back to assist the uniforms with the robbery. When he was alone Tom looked once again at the door Kate walked through and softly said to himself, 'Yeah, I know her. She's the one that got away.' He squared his shoulders and headed towards the front door. He still had another robbery to check. But as he walked out of the apartment he was thinking, 'what if.'

As Kate walked up to Ryan, Rick stood beside Esposito and said, "Well, that was awkward."

Esposito gave a fake shiver and said, "You got that right!"

Kate simply shook her head and watched as Ryan looked at the three of them. "I missed something again, didn't I?"

Esposito slowly nodded his head yes while Castle had a grimace of distaste on his face. Looking at the two of them Ryan said, "I'm getting tired of interesting things happening when I'm not around."

Looking straight at Esposito he pointed at him and said, "I expect a full explanation when we get in the car."

Deciding things were getting slightly out of control Kate spoke up, "Alright girls, gossip later, we have a murder to solve." Looking back at Ryan she said, "What did you find?"

Ryan looked back to Beckett and said, "As you could see from his clothes, he must have come home and surprised the burglar, there's signs of forced entry at the window here but it looks like whoever did this left through the front door."

Kate looked around the scene at the window and watched CSU performing their jobs. Turning back to Ryan she said, "Anything else?"

Esposito spoke up, "Wife was upstairs sleeping, claims she never heard a thing; came down this morning to find her husband lying there and the study trashed and the safe open and empty."

Nodding her head Beckett said, "Demming's team is handling the robbery," turning to Castle she said, "Let's talk to the wife and see what else she has to say."

When she mentioned Demming, Ryan looked at Esposito and mouthed the name as Esposito shook his head and then nodded in Beckett's direction.

Watching the two walk out the door to the living room where the wife was sitting, Ryan turned to Esposito and said, "Demming? You have _got_ to be kidding!"

Esposito shook his head and said, "Nope. His team got the call for the robbery, and he didn't hear the announcement this morning."

Now standing next to Esposito and watching Beckett and Castle sitting down across from the wife, Ryan asked, "So, does he know?"

"Demming? Yeah, found out when Beckett introduced Castle to Peck."

"How'd he take it?"

Giving him a look Esposito said, "How do you think he took it bro? He tried to look happy."

Shrugging his shoulders Ryan replied, "Well, that was all wrong from the start. Knew it wouldn't last."

Esposito raised his eyebrows and said, "Well, she sure was going to try to make it last. Remember she was going to spend the weekend with him when Castle found out."

Making a pained face Ryan said, "Oh yeah. I forgot. What a mess."

Looking at his boss and her partner Esposito said, "Yeah, it sure was." Then slapping Ryan on the back he said, "But everything is cool now bro."

Ryan smiled, "Oh yeah, it sure is." Looking to the door opposite where Beckett and Castle were he said, "We better go and check with Peck."

As they turned to go Esposito said, "Hey, you made a rhyme. You've been hanging around Castle too much."

Ryan grinned and said, "Naah. His poems are _really_ bad."

Both chuckling, the two detectives walked out of the room.

.

.

Two hours later Kate was staring at the murder board. She thought of something, walked to the board and leaning over, wrote down her thought. Rick meanwhile had been staring at her, and when she bent over at the board he eyes naturally drifted to a certain part of her anatomy.

Kate never noticed as she stood up to look over the board but Esposito tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "Not cool bro. Especially here."

Realizing he'd been caught, Rick started to blush as Kate turned to look at the two men. She saw Rick blushing, saw Esposito smirking and suddenly stood straighter, feeling embarrassed and oddly flattered at the same time.

She walked back to Rick and swatted him on the shoulder. He asked her why and she replied, "Keep your eyes on the board, not on me."

Rubbing his shoulder Rick asked, "How did you know I was looking at you?"

"It's not that you were looking at me Castle, it's _where_ on me you were looking!"

With a puzzled look Rick said, "Again, how did you know I was looking somewhere on you?"

Kate pointed to Esposito and said, "By the smirk on his face."

Hearing that, Esposito quickly stopped smiling and tried looked business like and professional, hoping he wasn't going to feel the 'wrath of Beckett' as he and Ryan liked to call it. Well actually most of the precinct called it that, no one wanted to be on her bad side.

But Kate merely shook her head, gave Castle one more glare and went back to the murder board.

Esposito turned to Rick and said, "So Castle, how'd the meeting with the press go?"

"Ahhh….."

Not turning her head from the murder board Kate answered, "Everyone seems to forget that my name is Beckett, not Nikki Heat…"

Esposito's eyebrows rose and Rick made a face like he was in pain as Kate continued, "Then they wanted to know what it felt like to be number three and asked if I believed the saying 'Third time's the charm' is true."

Rick's look of pain only deepened and Esposito patted his shoulder in sympathy.

Turning around to look at them Kate added, "And let's not forget the woman who asked if we used my handcuffs for anything other than police work."

Now Esposito made a grimace and mouthed the word "Ouch."

"Or the one man who kept asking if the scenes in the books mirrored our real life."

Rick added, "There were some good questions too, such as when we were planning on the wedding, exactly how we met and when we realized we were in love with each other."

Esposito looked relieved and said to Kate, "Those sound like ok questions."

"They were lucky Rick was holding my right had so I couldn't grab my gun."

Rick added, "From the look on Paula's face, it's a good thing I was blocking her from getting at it too." Seeing the glint in Kate's eyes he was very glad he stood on her right side.

Shaking his head Rick said, "There _were_ more good questions than bad, but the bad ones seemed to outweigh the good ones." He turned to Esposito saying, "I don't understand what the reason was for some of them, they were really personal and seemed like 'gotcha' questions. We had to end the meeting sooner than we planned."

Turning back to the murder board Kate mumbled, "Who the hells business is it anyway why I haven't gotten married before this?"

Esposito turned back to Rick who nodded his head, agreeing that someone had indeed asked Kate that question.

Feeling like a third wheel Esposito got up and said he'd go check and see if Ryan got any new info from Perlmutter, and quickly left, leaving Rick staring once again at Kate.

Without turning her head Kate said, "It's ok Rick…well it's not really ok but I can live with it."

Turning back to look at him she said, "But I doubt that I am _ever_ going to enjoy these things, so the more you can keep me out of them, the better I'll like it." She then turned back to the murder board, trying to forget the afternoon meeting.

Two hours later they had a few more clues added from Detective Peck's team and CSU, but still had no leads.

Looking at her father's watch, Kate saw the time and decided they should all call it a night. Esposito and Ryan slowly got up from their chairs, said goodnight and headed toward the elevator.

Rick stretched and put on his jacket while Kate shut down her pc and locked up her desk after getting her purse, and the envelope she'd put Rick's paper in. Seeing it lightened her mood and with a smile she said, "Come on Rick, let's go home," and started walking to the elevator.

Rick watched her with a silly grin on his face and then hurried to catch up to her. As they reached the elevator door he whispered, "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that."

When the doors opened and they walked inside she turned to him and quietly replied, "Oh there's lots of things I've been saving up to say to you Ricky."

Watching his face she would swear that someone hit him with baseball bat. He looked stunned and his mouth refused to close.

With a satisfied smile she pushed the button for the parking garage and the doors slowly closed.

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The drive back to the loft was normal for them, Kate drove the car and Rick fidgeted in the seat next to her. For some reason this feeling of familiarity just gave her what she was starting to call "the fuzzies," that wonderful feeling in her heart that she got from thinking of, or being with Rick.

Of course she couldn't take credit for the term, Rick came up with the word that first wonderful Saturday at the Hamptons. He was staring at her as they sat on the veranda, wrapped up in their coats but wanting to sit outside with their coffee and danish to watch the ocean.

"_You know Rick, it doesn't feel as creepy when you do that here."_

"_What can I say? I knew my persistence and rugged handsomeness would eventually wear you down." His eyebrows danced up and down as he spoke but the effect was soon lost as a seagull made a quick dash to grab the rest of his danish._

_Waving his arms and yelling at the bird, it flew away irritably squawking at him while Kate laughed. "Stupid bird!" he said. "I guess Bob is on vacation this week."_

"_Who's Bob?"_

_Pointing to her right he said, "See that contemporary house down the beach? That's where Bob lives."_

"_Ok. So who's Bob?"_

"_He's my neighbor."_

_She gave him a glare and he smiled at her saying, "Well, he's also a retired marine biologist who for some unknown reason developed a fondness for seagulls."_

"_Maybe he was touched by 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' when he was younger."_

_His eyes became soft as he looked at her and said, "You have no idea how many times I get all fuzzy inside when you say things like that."_

_Blushing, Kate put her head down but raised her eyes to look at him._

"_Or when you look at me like that. Over the past few years I can't begin to tell you how often you've given me the fuzzies."_

_Butterflies were doing a number on her stomach and she felt her blush deepening. Just sitting quietly with Rick looking at the ocean was giving her a sense of peace that she hadn't felt in years. Deciding she had to change the subject she grabbed onto the first thing she could think of. "So what does Bob have to do with seagulls trying to steal your danish?"_

_He gazed at her for a few more minuets with that sweet smile on his face then answered, "Bob has taken it upon himself to leave food out for the stupid things."_

"_And?"_

"_Well if he's on vacation they probably think that we are the replacement caterers."_

_Kate was about to ask another question when the seagull hovered above and squawked at them angrily. Laughing she said, "We better get inside before he calls reinforcements…I saw the movie, Castle."_

_Humming the theme song from the old Alfred Hitchcock show, Castle stood up with his coffee and plate, then with a flick of the plate tossed the danish out to the end of the veranda._

_The seagull, seeing the food immediately dove on it and then flew away with it in its beak._

_Kate laughed and said, "Now that you've fed it Castle, you'll probably never get rid of it."_

_As he opened the door he said with a grin, "I've fed you today, does that mean I'll never get rid of you?"_

_Kate stopped, looked at him with one eyebrow raised, pursed her lips and said, "Hmmm, we'll just have to see how that works out now, won't we?" She then walked through the door putting an extra swish into her hips._

_Rick watched her walk into the house with a huge grin on his face. A few feet inside she turned to him and said, "You comin'?"_

_Eyes twinkling he followed her into the house and closed the glass door behind him. With the door closed the sounds from the pounding surf could barely be heard, and even though the view outside was still magnificent, green eyes and blue only saw each other._

Tamping down on 'the fuzzies' she turned her head and said, "For crying out loud Rick, we'll be there in less than five minutes."

Giving her a pained look he said, "I don't know Kate. I may need a stretcher to get up to the loft."

Shaking her head, she said in a mock serious voice,"Never gonna happen!"

Twelve minutes later, they were entering the loft to the smells of something wonderful. Turning to Rick she said, "Wow, that smells great. What is it?"

With a puzzled look on his face he said, "I don't…" just as Alexis stepped out of the kitchen. "Kate! Dad, I figured you'd be hungry so I made dinner."

Walking up to the girl and giving her a hug Kate said, "Lexi, it smells wonderful, and kind of familiar, what is it?"

"I don't know if it's really Russian or not, but I made beef Stroganoff."

Giving her a kiss on the forehead Kate said, "Alexis that is so sweet of you. I haven't had that in years!"

Rick gave Alexis a hug and a kiss while Kate took off her shoes and wriggled her toes in the carpet. "God that feels good."

Alexis smiled and told them both to sit in on the stools at the breakfast bar and under no circumstances to come into the kitchen. "Were the press still outside?" she asked.

"There were a few out front," Rick replied, "But we came in the back to the parking garage and security kept them away." With a frown on his face he asked, "Did they bother you when you came home?"

"No Dad, for the last few years they've been pretty respectful of me," she grinned and added, "But I guess that would change if I took a police horse for a ride." She laughed as he put his hand on his heart pretending to be in shock.

"Just relax and I'll bring you your dinner," she said.

"Uh, Pumpkin? I'll need to go in to get the wine."

Putting down the wooden spoon she was stirring with, Alexis walked to the wine rack under the bar and lifted out a bottle. "Grams told me this is the wine to drink with Stroganoff."

She then handed him the bottle opener and put two glasses in front of them. "Don't come in the kitchen," she said sternly, then spoiled it by giggling along with Kate.

Rick shook his head, mumbled something about growing up way too fast and opened the wine. Pouring two glasses, he put the bottle down, lifted his glass to Kate and said, "To magic."

Kate rolled her eyes but clinked her glass to his and took a sip. They sat watching as Alexis prepared two dishes and placed them on the bar next to the forks and napkins already placed there.

The smell was so good that they both picked up their forks and dug in without any hesitation. Soon Alexis was hearing her father making "mmmm" noises and she knew he really liked it. What surprised and delighted her was that Kate was doing the same.

"You guys must really be hungry," she said as they devoured their dinners.

Kate put down her fork, took a sip of wine and said, "Alexis, this is probably the best Stroganoff I've ever had. You are really an excellent cook."

Beaming, Alexis thanked her and said, "There's plenty more if you want it. I have to go study now, so I'm sorry to say, but you two get to clean up."

As she left the kitchen and walked past them Rick stretched out his arm and grabbed her, bringing her in for a hug and a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"Dad!"

"What? I can't hug and kiss my amazing daughter?" He briefly tickled her and then let her go.

With a grin on her face she said, "Remember to keep Friday free. Kate, your dad will be joining us all for an engagement celebration."

"If we clear up this case and don't get another one sweetie," Kate replied.

Alexis smiled and headed upstairs saying, "There's some pudding in the fridge if you want dessert."

Rick called after her, "Is it chocolate?"

"Yes Dad, but sorry, we're out of whipped cream."

With a stunned look on his face Rick stared at his daughter's retreating form as she turned at the top of the stairs and disappeared down the hall. Kate had a hard time not breaking out in laughter at his expression.

Only Richard Castle would find it earth shattering to be out of whipped cream.

Suddenly his face lit up and Kate could almost see the light bulb turning on over his head. He jumped from the stool and ran into the kitchen, then knelt down on the floor behind the island, disappearing from Kate's view, as if he stepped into a hole in the floor and fell through.

She heard the mini fridge open and then the clinking of wine bottles being moved around when suddenly he exclaimed "Ah ha!" and stood up in triumph holding two cans of whipped cream.

The look on his face was beyond priceless and she couldn't help the look that came on her face. He was just too damn cute.

Rick wasn't blind, he saw the look she gave him and it made his heart leap just that little bit more than usual. She looked at him with an expression that he could only describe as 'joy of ownership,' and every time she did, it made his heart swell with pride that Kate Beckett looked at him that way.

He gave a grin, put the cans down on the counter and headed towards the fridge. Opening it, he pulled out two dishes with chocolate pudding and brought them to the island. Pulling two spoons out of the drawer he turned to Kate and asked, "Want some whipped cream on yours?"

Kate smiled and gazed at her guy. 'My guy,' she thought to herself. 'Mine.' She looked at the can in his hand that he was still shaking, every time she ate there and had dessert he offered her whipped cream, and she never took him up on it. Yet tonight, looking at him standing there all excited at finding the two hidden cans, she found herself saying, "Oh what the hell knock yourself out Rick."

She was rewarded with the delighted smile that came on his face as he carefully took the cap off the top, and with the look of intense concentration, proceeded to fill the top of her dish with whipped cream. She was grateful that he didn't empty half the can on it.

He finished with a flourish putting the spoon in the pudding and slowly pushing the dessert towards her.

He then proceeded to empty the can on his pudding.

Shaking her head, she got off the stool and headed towards the living room to sit on the couch. She wanted to be comfortable when she gave him her present. He followed and soon they were finishing their dessert, relaxing and leaning into one another.

Starting to feel tired and knowing they had to clean up the kitchen before she left, Kate quietly said, "I have something for you Rick."

He raised his head and looked at her with that adorable little boy look that she loves. "Did you get me a puppy? A pony? Oh! An alien detector!"

She raised herself up and said, "Nope, nope and definitely nope." At his excited look she added, "Roll down your sleeves."

"Huh?"

Seeing he hadn't moved, she took his left arm wrapped around her shoulders and started rolling down his sleeve. As she expected, it did not have buttons on the cuffs. She turned to her right and saw he was holding out his other arm for her and she rolled down that sleeve.

When finished she put down his arm and reached to the table for her purse. Opening it she pulled out a small red velvet box. He reached for it but she slapped his hand saying, "Down boy. We're doing this _my_ way."

He put his hand down and said, "Oooo, kinky!"

Rolling her eyes she asked, "Do you want this present or should I leave now?"

"Ok, ok, I'll be good," he said but he was so excited his body kept wiggling on the couch and Kate felt she was on an amusement park ride.

"Close your eyes."

He looked at her for a few seconds, slowly closed them and said, "Ok, remember my safe word is apples."

Giving a dramatic sigh Kate said in a mock exasperated voice, "You're going to hold me to that marriage proposal, aren't you."

Briefly opening his eyes he looked at her and softly said, "Oh yeah, I am _never_ letting you go…ok, closing eyes again!"

Smiling, Kate opened the box and looked inside, thinking again that this was perfect. For her, it was the perfect gift to give him. She hoped he liked it, slowly taking each piece out she affixed them to his cuffs and after putting the box back on the coffee table, told him to open his eyes.

He opened his eyes and looked at his wrists; the cuffs of his shirt were closed by two new cufflinks. Keeping his left arm around Kate, he raised his right to get a better look. They were exquisite and as he looked at them, he felt his eyes begin to tear up.

"Where did you…"

"I designed them and Maddie helped me find the jeweler to make them."

She lifted her left hand and looked at her ring. "I had no idea you'd made this, but at that signing I attended with you I came up with the idea of what I wanted to give you. To show you exactly what you mean to me."

She reached her right hand down to pick up his left, which was still around her shoulders, brought it to her lips and kissed it. "What I feel for you is stronger and more powerful than anything I ever felt before, or ever thought I could feel."

She turned her head and looked in his eyes, "When I was little my mom told me what truly being in love felt like." Kate swallowed and said, "I wish I could have just one minute to tell her she was right."

Rick kissed the top of her head and said, "I think this is the most wonderful gift anyone has ever given me. It's perfect."

With his arm around Kate he looked again at the cufflinks. They were gold and oval shaped, but what impressed him were the raised letters. They were not attached or added to the gold; they had to have been in the mold as they were part of the cufflink.

The letters O and D were raised with two green stones in the middle of each letter.

"They look like your eyes," he said. "What kind of stones are they?"

"Peridots."

"Peridots?"

"Yes, they stand for Fame, Dignity and Protection."

"You know that sounds a lot like our relationship."

Kate smiled and said, "That's why I picked them. You have no idea how many we went through till we found four that not only matched my eyes but each other."

"Your eyes change color Kate, they only look this green when you look at me like you're doing now."

"You're my one Rick. My only one, and I wanted you to be able to see that where ever you are."

A smile came on his face, "Can he make another pair?"

Puzzled at the question Kate answered, "I guess so, why?"

He leaned closer to her ear and said, "I'll never wear another pair again, and since I plan on spending at least the next fifty years with you, these may wear out."

She turned her head and their eyes were only a few inches apart. Giving him a soft kiss she said, her lips still resting on his, "Nothing's gonna wear out with us Mister…nothing!"

What else could a guy do with a beautiful woman talking like that in his arms but kiss her.

And so he did.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: This all takes place in one day, the other chapters that take place in one day are all much shorter. I believe I have become long winded and would probably make a good politician, seems like I never want to shut up. Ok I also realize this is mostly fluff, but I needed some fluff and since it's my story, I can write fluff if I want…so I did! To paraphrase Mel Brooks, 'It's good to be the author.' ;-)**


	19. Chapter 19, Peeling the Castle Onion

Is Forever Possible

Chapter 19, Peeling the Castle Onion

by RGoodfellow64

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DISCLAIMER: As has been the case with previous chapters, I do not own Castle, or anything associated with the show except my DVD's, books and anything else ABC will allow me to purchase.

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Mini Author Note: Since it's been so long you may want to re-read chapter 18.

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As weeks go this really wasn't one of the worst she could remember, it had actually started out on a great note when they told everyone they were engaged. Even the press conference at the bookstore wasn't all that bad, now that she had some distance from it, and she still couldn't believe that some of the most beautiful words she'd ever heard had just come from the heart. That he hadn't worked on them till they were just right, like when he wrote his books, but he simply told the press how much he loved her. 'Thank goodness for Paula having a transcript ready,' Kate thought; 'I know exactly where I'll hang the two frames in my apartment and then, one day in the loft.

She found her thumb and pinky finger rubbing her engagement ring again. Used to be when she had a tough week or the case was hard, she would take out her mothers ring and hold it. Now what calmed her down, what eased her fears and what gave her support, was the ring around her finger; she was engaged.

'I'm engaged,' she thought.

She stopped thinking about the case, stopped thinking about the press and paparazzi, and merely sat thinking about her ring and admiring it. She never thought she could be one of those 'girly girls' who just couldn't stop looking at, touching and thinking about her engagement ring, but just the feel of it on her hand brought her a comfort that she's never really known before.

Friday morning brought the conclusion of the case when Peck's group along with Esposito and Ryan discovered the teenaged thief and murderer. A job well done and Tom had even offered to take everyone from both teams out for a beer to celebrate, though according to Esposito his eyes had steadily rested on Kate.

She thanked Tom but had to decline, although Ryan and Esposito took him up on it. Besides, she'd see Esposito and Ryan again tomorrow for the ride to the Hamptons, along with Lanie and Jennie, to spend Saturday night on Rick's yacht. Saying we're going to spend the night on 'the Martha' just didn't sound right to Kate. She sent her team off with Tom and got ready to leave herself. She had dinner plans that night with her family.

Her family.

She'd never really thought about them in that way before, but realized that was what they all were. Her family.

She was able to leave the precinct about an hour after Rick, close to 4pm, and immediately went home, showered and changed. She felt invigorated by the end of the case, and although on call, looked forward to a quiet evening with Rick, Martha, Alexis and her Dad.

When she arrived Rick was in the kitchen, and she saw her Dad sitting in the living room with Martha and Alexis. They looked like they were in a deep conversation, and not wanting to bother them she went in the kitchen after Rick.

He turned around with a smile as she walked in and she couldn't help but smile back. He was wearing his kiss the cook apron but he'd modified it somewhat. It now said, 'No one but Kate can kiss the cook;' and she smiled remembering when Alexis took out a marker and added 'or Alexis' to his change of words.

Rick opened his arms wide and she walked up to him putting her arms around him as his came around her. Giving him a kiss she pulled back and said, "Smells like Chicken Marcella."

With a grin he kissed the tip of her nose and said, "Nope. Wrong. It's hot dogs, beans and onions."

Looking past him at the stove she saw the chicken and simply smiled. "That isn't a different name for Chicken Marcella, is it?"

At his puzzled look she added, "Well after all you call Mac and cheese Chicken ala Rick, so I can only suppose you call Chicken Marcella, hot dogs, beans and onions."

Suddenly his smile widened and his eyes started to twinkle with mirth. "You know, I was just kidding, but that's not a bad idea."

Pulling back she patted his cheek and said, "So what will you call the real hot dogs, beans and onions then?"

"Pot Roast?"

She patted his shoulder and pulled away saying, "I think Chicken ala Rick will be our only specially named meal."

Pretending to pout he said, "Spoilsport." Then he grabbed her by the shoulders, pulled her to him, gave her another kiss and said, "Dinner in ten!" then let her go.

As he turned back to the stove she shook her head and then walked out of the kitchen and right into Martha, who was watching the two of them with a proud maternal smile on her face.

"Come along dear," she said, taking Kate by the arm, then she leaned close and whispered, "The chef is at work and we don't want to lose any more eyebrows."

"Eyebrows?"

"Mother!"

In a stage whisper, with a big smile on her face, Martha said, "I'll let Alexis tell you all about it Kate, she truly is developing a genuine flair for the dramatic."

Rick came bounding out of the kitchen saying, "Not if I get to her first!" But Kate put out her hand and stopped him as he was about to pass. At his look she said, "Rick, your hot dogs are going to burn."

His face looked puzzled for a second before the eyes widened in recognition of what she was saying and he quickly turned back to the stove, leaving Martha and Kate to walk into the living room where Alexis sat with Jim.

Standing up, Jim met Kate on her way to the couch and gave her a big hug. Pulling back he took her hand in his and looked at the ring. It looked perfect and he told her so.

Beaming, she gave her father another squeeze before letting him go to sit beside him. She noticed the way he was looking at her, and it reminded her of the day she graduated high school. "Katie, I am so proud of you I could pop," he said as he took her left hand in his. "Your mother is also proud, I can feel her watching us now and her face is just glowing with joy…looking a lot like yours I bet."

Kate could feel her eyes tear up and she lifted her hand with his and kissed it. "I know Daddy, I can feel it too and that makes me know this is right."

Alexis and Martha watched as the two entered their own private world and relived special moments, adding this moment into that category. Alexis had to turn away as the look between father and daughter was so intense, and in doing she saw that her grandmother had that same look on her face as she looked at Kate.

There was almost a maternal hunger in her, a maternal glow in her eyes as she looked at the two of them. Martha Rogers was seeing her family grow by two and she had hopes to hold more grandchildren in her arms in the next few years. From previous conversations she knew that Jim wanted grandchildren to spoil as well. Feeling very emotional, she put her arm around Alexis and pulled her tight to herself. These were moments that all the money in the world just could not buy.

Suddenly Rick's voice came out from the kitchen, "Dinner's ready! Grab your plates and hold on to your seats, 'cause tonight you're going to taste a treat!"

Rolling her eyes, Alexis looked at Kate and Jim saying, "Oh no. He's rhyming again." Shaking her head, she muttered under her breath, "I should never have let him buy that rhyming program for the laptop."

Laughing, the four walked to the dining room table and sat down. Kate noticed that while she was with Martha her dad and Alexis, Rick had put the salad, bread and butter, and two carafes on the table. One had apple juice in it and the other iced tea.

Rick came out of the kitchen bearing a baking dish that he put on the center of the table with a flourish. He looked up to see Jim pouring the tea into Martha's glass while Alexis poured juice into hers and then Jim's glass.

Smiling as he sat down Rick asked Jim to pass the iced tea and then he gallantly poured some into Kate's glass and then picked up his own. Now however he had to do something theatrical and as he poured, he pulled his hands apart till there was almost two feet of tea pouring from the carafe into his glass. He then quickly brought his hands together as the lip of the carafe touched the lip of his glass and he stopped pouring.

With another flourish he put the carafe and glass on the table and sat in his seat, a smug smile on his face that he'd pulled off the trick without spilling a drop.

Jim, Martha and Kate were staring at him when Alexis sighed, patted Kate's arm and said dramatically, "He hasn't done that in a while Kate. I'd hoped he'd grown out of it."

Everyone burst out laughing and Martha said, "Alexis, my dear you should quit school and go into acting, you'd beat my Tony within a year I bet."

Alexis smiled and batted her eyes at her dad who was sitting with a wounded expression on his face. "You used to love when I did that!"

"I think I was five Dad, it's a lot easier to do than I thought back then."

Rick gave a little pout but his eyes were sparkling as he picked up his glass and said, "I'd like to make a toast."

However before he could say anything else, Jim interrupted him. "Excuse me Rick, but I'd like to make one first if you don't mind."

Putting down his glass, Rick nodded and said, "By all means, Jim, the floor is yours."

Jim raised his glass to make the toast, and when everyone held up their glass he said, "We're going to do this differently, we will drink first and then make the toast."

He raised his glass to his lips and took a sip of the juice, and everyone followed suit. After putting down his glass Jim stood up and said, "For too many years Kate, there were just the two of us…" he turned to Alexis and nodded his head.

Alexis stood up next and said, "Dad and Grams, for too many years it's been just the three of us," and she added with a grin, "Despite the fiascos with Gina."

Alexis looked at Jim, nodded her head, and then they spoke together, looking at Kate and Rick, "Two broken families have become healed, and whole from the love that you two share…"

Then Martha stood up to join them saying, "We truly are now, and one day officially will be, one united family; the five of us have met many challenges in our lives, but together we will be able to surmount all that comes our way."

Rick took Kate's hand and they both stood up to join the others. Alexis and Martha put out their hands and then all joined hands together as Alexis softly said to herself, "Now I really do have a family." They each squeezed the hands they were holding and looked into each other's eyes before letting go. Kate's were glistening with unshed tears and she looked at Rick to see his were the same.

Everyone sat back down and Martha, being Martha, had to have the last word. Leaning to Kate, she said in a stage whisper, "Dear, if you plan to add to this family, and I certainly hope you do, remind me to explain the problem that a certain Rogers boy had with washing his hair." She gave a dramatic shudder and said, "Those years from age two to five were simply unbearable…I should have just shaved his head."

"Mother!"

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The next morning Kate came back into the loft after putting the last of the bags in the car. Closing the door behind her she headed to the kitchen where Alexis was finishing the breakfast Kate had made for her earlier.

"I don't know how you make those eggs so fluffy Kate. They almost floated off the plate and into my mouth!"

Taking her cup and emptying the last of the coffee into it, Kate turned back to Alexis and said, "Just a little trick my mother taught me. I'll be happy to teach you when we get back."

Tilting her head to the side Alexis said with a grin, "I don't know Kate, they'll probably taste so much better when you make them. I think I'll leave that to you."

Finishing the last of her coffee, Kate picked up her napkin and threw it at Alexis who laughed and ducked. "Think of it this way Kate, after I go away to college your cooking will make me want to come back all that more often."

Shaking her head, Kate smiled at Alexis then turned to rinse out her cup and put it in the dishwasher. As she finished and turned around, she saw Rick was ready to leave. Grabbing her purse Kate joined Rick where they met Alexis at the front door, gave her a kiss and then headed out.

As they were heading to the elevator Alexis called out, "Kate?"

Kate turned around and Alexis said, "Please make sure he doesn't do anything too crazy. I really don't like that boat."

Rick turned with a pained look on his face and said, "Yacht," while Kate said at the same time, "Don't worry Alexis, I'll have Lanie and Jenny with me along with the boys. We'll sit on him if we need to."

As Alexis smiled, Kate turned back and together she and Rick entered the elevator.

Esposito and Lanie rode with Ryan and Jenny to Rick's underground garage. As they were nearing the entrance they'd called to let him know they were there and Alexis told them he and Kate were already in the elevator.

Rick's place was closer to the highway than the precinct, and they would follow him to the yacht. They were stopped in front of the elevator doors when the light above it came on and the doors opened to show Kate and Rick.

As they walked out of the elevator the foursome could not help but notice that Rick was walking very slowly, slightly bent from the waist and stiff legged. Looking to Esposito Ryan said, "Kinda walking like Frankenstein's monster isn't he?"

Esposito opened the door and said, "Yo Castle, look at you," then with a wicked grin he added, "busy night last night?"

Rick straightened up to reply but a look of pain came on his face as he did and he simply pointed to Kate. Lanie and Jenny were laughing along with Ryan and Kate had a smug smile on her face. "Someone made a comment that simply doing yoga shouldn't make you sweat," she said to the group. "He then made a bet that he could easily do the same as me…as you can see, he didn't come close."

Turning to him she patted him on his left shoulder and said with a smile that reminded Rick of the cat that ate the canary, "Not as flexible as you thought you were, huh Rick?" Then twirling the keys in her hand added, "You stay right here, I'll go get the car and bring it to you." Then with a throaty little chuckle she walked past Esposito, around Ryan's car and walked to Rick's assigned spaces. They'd planned on taking the Ferrari, but when Rick had failed at yoga in such a spectacular manner, she decided to take the more comfortable and larger Escalade.

As she entered the car and put the key in the ignition, she smiled thinking that in all these years, and even in these past months, she was still the one driving the car. 'Maybe I'll let him play with the radio,' she thought as she pulled out of the parking space. She smiled knowing he'd complain that it was his car, but the rule was, the driver controlled the radio. 'Yeah, I'll let him choose the station," she thought, 'but not till we're out of the city.'

Wearing what Rick considered an evil grin she pulled up in front of him and watched as he slowly climbed in. As he gingerly sat back in his seat, she said in a smug voice, "Still think it was a waste of time for me to bring the luggage down earlier?" And not expecting an answer, she pulled in front of Ryan and they started the drive to the Hamptons, and an overnight stay on the yacht.

The drive didn't take as long as usual since there were a lot fewer cars on the road. Not understanding why, but readily accepting the gift of light traffic, Kate was able to travel at a higher rate of speed but soon had to slow down to the speed limit when Esposito called her cell and told her she was losing them. "I think Ryan forgot where the accelerator is Beckett, so you better slow down."

Kate could hear Ryan in the background saying something about where he'd put the accelerator if Esposito wasn't careful. Kate smiled thinking of the ribbing Ryan was getting from Esposito and then said, "Esposito, if you don't catch up to us, I'll be getting off exit 71 towards East Hampton. There's a gas station and convenience store right off the exit where I'll be waiting."

"Ok Boss, gotcha," then he evidently turned to Ryan as his voice sounded muffled, "Did you hear that honeymilk? Exit 71."

As they were on the speaker Rick started to laugh. Kate turned to give him a quick look and he said quietly, "Esposito forgets that Ryan gives as much as he takes."

Smiling back Kate said, "Yeah, well, he'll find out the hard way this weekend I think. Ryan doesn't like to wait too long for revenge."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it was before your time, but remind me to tell you about the time he super glued Esposito to his chair."

Rich started to chuckle as Esposito suddenly came back on the speaker saying, "Hey! Hey! You don't need to go telling Castle anything that happened before he joined the team."

Smiling Kate said, "We'll see Esposito, if you don't catch up we'll be off exit 71." She then disconnected the call.

With a huge grin on his face, Rick asked Kate all about the super glue incident and ten minutes later, they were both laughing as she described Esposito trying to get out of his pants while they were still stuck to the chair.

.

.

Forty five minutes later, with Ryan's car right behind them, Kate and Rick pulled up to the security gate of the marina. While Kate lowered the window, Rick leaned over and said, "Castle, we have two cars."

The guard looked at a computer screen and shortly said, "Ah yes, Mr. Castle and party. There are plenty of spaces available in the lot and your yacht is in its usual slip."

Rick had a pained look on his face as he looked at Kate after hearing the security guard. "Ahhh, could you remind me which slip that is?" Rick asked.

Kate tried hard to keep in the laughter but he could see she was on the edge of bursting out, so he silently begged the guard to hurry up. "You're in slip 51 Mr. Castle. I see you haven't been here in a few years, so let me tell you the parking facilities are much larger now and each slip has three spaces assigned to it. They're clearly marked when you enter the lot."

As the guard raised the gate, Kate smiled and thanked him very much for his help, then slowly drove the car past the gate and toward the parking lot. The guard was correct, as soon as she entered the lot Kate saw larger than normal parking spaces, each with a number in front of it on the pavement. She kept driving till she found the three spaces marked 51 and pulled into the first. Ryan pulled in beside her and as soon as the engines were off, everyone started to get out of the cars and stretch.

As Rick was stretching and slowly walking to the back of the car he saw Lanie go up to a phone on a pole in front of Ryan's car and pick it up. She said a few words, nodded her head and then hung up the phone. Turning to everyone she said, "A cart will be by in a few minutes to take us and our bags to the yacht."

Everyone looked at her in surprise and Rick said, "How did you know what the phone was for?"

"Well duh! I walked up and read the sign!"

"What an amazing concept! Why didn't I think of that?"

With a glare that was softened by a smile Lanie said, "Watch it writer boy!"

Putting his hand on his heart as if he'd been deeply wounded he exclaimed, "I've been demoted! I'm back to writer boy again!"

Jenny was quietly laughing as she watched the goings on with the crew. These people were Kevin's family, and soon were going to be her family too. She had been accepted by them with open arms, and she couldn't begin to say how much she truly appreciated them all. Even Richard Castle. My God it was really Richard Castle, world famous author and the man her sister has had a crush on for almost twelve years, and he was one of Kevin's family.

She felt honored to be part of it, and she still remembered that one time when she and Kevin were out and ran into Kate and Josh. When Kate asked them to join their table Jenny saw the frown from Josh, and she remembered how Josh never fit into 'their' family. She could tell that even Kate didn't accept him into that part of her life.

As the young man drove up in what Rick called a "stretch golf cart", Jenny thought again about the dynamics of this group. Never, under any circumstances should they have become good friends, yet they were. And that Richard Castle was one of them constantly surprised her. Despite what papers and entertainment shows said, Richard, no, he said to always call him Rick, was as honest and faithful as the day is long, and Jenny was simply grateful that Kevin had them all in his life. She knows they will do all in their power to ensure he comes home to her every night.

As their bags were loaded on the cart and everyone took a seat, she snuggled into Kevin, wrapped her arm around his and kissed his cheek. When he turned to her with a questioning look she just smiled and softly said, "What? I love you Kevin Ryan," then smiling at his look added, "Just thought I'd remind you of that."

She watched with delight as his eyes seemed to melt and he looked at her with all the love he had. She turned to look at Javier and Lanie and Rick and Kate and smiled once again. She was already planning weddings of their combined children.

A few minutes later the cart pulled up to slip 51, and everyone got out to look at Rick's yacht. Looking up at it Rick said, "That funny, it looks bigger than I remember."

Standing next to him Esposito whistled and said, "Castle! This is a freaking yacht!"

Kevin punched him in the shoulder and said, "That's why it's called one dummy."

Esposito turned and glared at Ryan and said, "You know what I mean," then turning back to Rick he said, "Last year we all said what we'd do with a million dollars. Man, Montgomery's gonna _kill_ you bro!"

Ryan nodded his head and added, "Oh yeah Castle, he wanted a boat to go fishing and all the time you had this?" He waved his hand at the yacht.

With a smirk Rick said, "No need to worry, you of little faith. He and his fishing buddies have it all next weekend."

Kate looked at him and asked, "When did you arrange that?"

"I called him immediately after asking Chris to make arrangements to get it here."

Lanie patted him on the shoulder and said, "You know Castle, I keep forgetting you're smarter than you look."

The group started to laugh as Castle feigned outrage and handed the young man a tip as he unloaded the bags from the cart. "Thank you Mr. Castle," he said. "My name is Ken and when you're ready to leave just pick up that phone over there and I or one of the other drivers will come out to help you to your car."

Giving him a big smile Kate said, "Thank you Ken, we appreciate your help very much."

Rick watched in amusement as Ken stood straighter, turned red, mumbled a reply to Kate and then quickly drove away. 'She's not just going to be the death of me, but of every man here,' he thought to himself as he watched her walk to her bag. 'I really have to do something nice for the universe.'

Four of the yacht's crew came to help the guests with their bags and Rick led them to their staterooms. It took longer than usual as everyone stopped and stared as they made their way through the luxuriously appointed foyer. The yacht was gleaming and in pristine condition, and Kate especially appreciated the deep, soft carpets after leaving the rich teak decking.

They soon came to an open area with several chairs and side tables, and four doors, where the crew had placed their luggage. Rick pointed to the first door on their left and said, "This one is ours," then pointed to the others and said, "Pick whichever ones you want, they're all fitted out the same."

He then took a few steps and opened the door. With a flourish, he gave a slight bow and stretched out his left arm, inviting Kate to enter. When she did, she had to simply stop and stare. 'They actually have rooms like this on a yacht?' she thought to herself.

Rick stood in the doorway as she slowly made her way inside, her fingers lightly touching the warm cherry wood walls and built in chests of drawers. The bed was a king with a padded headboard, upholstered in a beautiful, and now that she touched it, sinfully soft fabric. The cream color highlighted by the occasional blue and red accents.

She walked by the large screen TV and opened another door that led to the master bath. Warm beige colors in the tile accented the granite vanity top and with two sinks. She looked in the mirror and had to turn around in amazement as she saw the walk through shower. It was almost four feet deep and had to be at least six feet long. There were two doors and a separate showerhead by each door, with another dozen or more along the wall for a full shower effect. In the ceiling were rain shower heads and there were two fold up seats on the wall. Looking more closely she saw radio / CD player controls on each side and then in the middle of the back wall, a telephone. She had never seen a shower like this in her life. It was even fancier than the one in the master bath at the loft.

Opening a smaller door to the left she saw the toilet, or head as her father always reminded her. There were two of these as well. Seeing another door, she opened it to see it led back to the bedroom. As she walked out, she saw Rick was still in the doorway with a smile on his face and Ryan was looking over his shoulder at the room. Although they spoke softly she heard them clearly.

"Wow Castle, this is amazing! It must have impressed quite a few women."

Rick shook his head, and his eyes never left Kate as he replied, "The only people who have slept in this bed are me, and when she was younger, Alexis. She really didn't like the noises the yacht makes at night."

As Kate made her way back to the two men, she heard Jenny call for Ryan who quickly replied and left, leaving Rick alone in the doorway. Kate slowly walked up to him and said in a soft voice, "This is a beautiful room Rick, thank you."

With a smug smile on his face he was about to reply when she asked innocently, "Where are you going to sleep?"

.

.

After a relaxing afternoon on the yacht, Rick took them all to a restaurant nearby. He refused to tell them what it was called and wanted it to be a surprise. As they walked up to it Ryan noticed the name and asked, "Castle, why didn't you tell us you were bringing us to the Yacht Club? Are we dressed for that?"

Jenny and Lanie were starting to get anxious when Rick smiled and said, "This place has nothing to do with the yacht club where the boat is. It's simply a restaurant called 'The Yacht Club' and we are all dressed just fine for dinner."

"They call it the Yacht Club, Castle?" Esposito asked.

"Yeah, and it has nothing to do with the yacht set other than the food is so good everyone comes here to eat."

Jenny spoke up saying, "Oh! It's like that place I read about in Memphis called 'The Country Club,' which had nothing to do with golf, it played a lot of country music while you ate."

Esposito wrinkled his nose, "Country music?"

Ryan said, "Hey, don't knock it," at the same time Kate said, "It's pretty good Esposito."

Shaking his head, Esposito entered the restaurant with everyone else and watched in surprise as Kate leaned over and said, "We have a reservation, under the name Smith."

The hostess looked at the book in front of her and then said, "Oh yes, here you are, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, party of six. Come this way please." Everyone followed as she led them to an outside table overlooking the water. As they sat down she said, "Your waiter tonight is Richard and he'll be here shortly."

Rick thanked her as she walked away and that was when Lanie leaned over to Kate and asked, "What's with Smith?"

Rick had a pained look on his face as Kate smiled at Lanie and said, "Don't want to get the paparazzi on our trail, so giving a phony name helps us get in without a fuss."

Lanie nodded her head and asked, "So why's your boy looking so upset?"

Kate's smile got even bigger as she said, "He doesn't like the name Smith and I don't like the one he picked. So we compromised."

"Compromised?"

"Yeah, compromised," she paused a moment and added, "We simply do it my way. I think that's a perfect compromise."

Jenny and Lanie laughed at that while Rick looked like he'd just taken a bite out of a lemon.

Soon their waiter came over and everyone ordered drinks while they looked at the menu. "Their lobster is the best on the east coast," Rick said. "No matter what dish it is, if there's lobster in it, it's going to be great."

A few minutes later Richard came back with their drinks and they all ordered appetizers and their meals, then settled back to enjoy the fresh baked breads and rolls.

After the appetizers came and were enjoyed, Rick said he was going to go to the bar to have his drink freshened rather than wait on Richard coming back. Kate decided to go to the powder room and they both left.

As Kate was making her way back to their table, she heard a voice say, "Kate! Katie!"

Turning around she saw a pretty woman with light brown hair who looked vaguely familiar. As she walked up to Kate with a big smile it suddenly came to her where she'd seen her before, three years ago at a charity auction. Wracking her brain, she tried to remember the woman's name when she came up to Kate with her hand out.

Kate reached out shaking the hand offered and was immediately brought back to that night and the charity event, remembering who she was.

"_I'm Ruthie," she'd said and mentioned she was 'on the circuit' going to affairs for all sorts of charities to meet rich men._

"_I see you have a big one on the line, settle in Katie, he's a fighter."_

"_Castle?"_

"_Oh most girls on the register have tried to land him…rich and handsome," then in a slightly lower voice, "We call him the white whale."_

She was brought back to the present when Ruthie said, "Katie, it's good to see you again!"

Kate could actually hear the exclamation points in her voice as she answered, "Hello Ruthie, how have you been?"

Taking hold of Kate's left hand a beaming Ruthie replied, "I've done well, but not as good as you have! You got a ring out of Rick Castle! How did you manage to do that?"

Before Kate could answer, Rick, who was walking up to her from the bar, stopped and said, "You have no idea how long it took me to get her to just go on a _date_with me!" Kate noticed the shocked look on Ruthie's face.

Looking at Kate with a soft smile Rick added, "She put up one heck of a fight, but I guess I finally wore her down, and believe me I won't let her get away either!" He gave Kate a peck on the cheek, smiled at Ruthie and walked to their table.

Ruthie stood looking at Kate while Kate watched Rick walk away. Letting go of Kate's hand Ruthie smiled with a calculating look on her face and said, "Hard to get huh? Who would have figured?" Then with a bigger smile she added, "Way to go Katie, we'll have to get together soon," and headed back to her table.

Kate watched as Ruthie walked back to her table and sat down with two other women. All three were dressed like they were on the hunt, and when Ruthie sat down the other two leaned closer to her and she spoke to them, occasionally looking her way. Shaking her head and with a confused look on her face, Kate turned to follow the path Rick took to their table where she saw their dinner had arrived.

As she sat back down Lanie asked, "Who's she?"

Rick's eyes twinkled as Kate tried to form an answer, "She's…uh…well I met her…um…it's complicated."

Lanie looked at her and shook her head, "Complicated? Girl you just got over three years of complicated, why start something new?"

Picking up her fork and stabbing it into a large piece of lobster, she dunked it in the butter and took a bite. Swallowing her food she said with a grin, "Now this is the most complicated anything should be."

Kate smiled, then looked at Rick who had a devilish smile on his face. "What?" he asked.

With a sigh, she shook her head and said, "Rick…"

Taking a sip of his drink, Rick shook his head and interrupted saying, "Uh huh, you know you didn't want to be there, and I remembered her from some shindig Bob got me to go to about four years ago."

He shivered and said, "I tried and tried and couldn't get rid of her. Finally I excused myself, saying I had to go to the men's room, and snuck out."

Kate shook her head and smiled back at him, waiting till he took another sip of his drink and then softly said to him, "Well, you can't blame a girl for trying to land the 'White Whale'."

Everyone looked at Rick as he spit out his drink all over his dinner, but Kate simply smiled and took another bite of the delicious lobster. She then turned to Lanie and Jenny and asked, "How do you like your rooms? I think we'll probably sleep like babies on the water tonight."

Ryan mumbled "Sleep?" which made Jenny blush, and Kate smiled at the two of them, thinking what a cute couple they were.

.

.

Sunday morning was absolutely beautiful and everyone enjoyed breakfast on the yacht. Unfortunately, Sunday afternoon came way too fast and they all headed back to the city. Kate stopped at her apartment and took out her bags and Rick helped her bring them up. After a warm hug and a few kisses goodbye, he left and Kate unpacked, deciding she had time for a load of laundry this evening before having dinner and going to bed. She had to go over all the paperwork from the last case before the Captain could submit it to the DA.

A little over an hour later she sat watching the clothes go around the dryer, letting her thoughts wander over the past weekend and how nice the time with their friends was. How amazingly different her life was from just a year ago. One year ago she was still with Josh, although she really wasn't happy in the relationship, she felt obligated to stay in it. Before breaking up with him she thought for a long time why she stayed in it as long as she did. She was tired. She was tired of not being part of a couple, not being in a relationship. Tired of working every Saturday night and not being able to just up and go out…to the movies or a bite to eat or even just a walk. Tired of not having anyone to talk to at the end of the day, to unwind and decompress from all the stresses of the job. Those were the reasons she stayed with Josh. Plus he put his dreams aside for her and stayed when she asked him to, and she felt obligated to make things work.

Trouble was she had none of those things _with_ Josh. In the almost seven months they dated she can only recall one or two Saturday dates. They could never just up and go somewhere since if she wasn't on call, he usually was, or he was working a double shift or taking a shift for another doctor so _he_ could spend time with his girlfriend or family or worst of all, out saving the world and ignoring her. She never came first with Josh. It was only when she realized she had all those things with Rick that she understood her relationship with Josh was going nowhere. It never really did go anywhere; it was stagnant from the start.

She smiled remembering how she just shut the laptop down, got up off the bed and put on her boots and coat to go meet Rick at the Old Haunt. Josh wasn't happy, but it was her job and Rick was her partner. She smiled again recalling that she always had time to go check out something with Rick, and he was always available for her.

She chuckled watching her clothes spin in the dryer, yeah, they really were a couple long before they became a couple.

.

.

Monday morning quickly arrived and Kate looked up from her desk at the clock, it was five minutes to nine and Kate knew Rick would be here soon with her coffee and bear claw. As much as she enjoyed the coffee from the espresso machine, for a long time now there was something different about the coffee that he brought her. It just tasted better.

Her mind was brought back to the present as her phone rang.

"Beckett."

"Kate? It's Tom."

Wondering why he'd call her she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is there something your team needs from us?"

"No, it's just, well, I had a very strange phone call this weekend from someone asking questions about you."

"Me? What kind of questions?"

"He said he'd heard from inside sources that we dated for a while and he wanted some information about that for a story."

A feeling of dread came over her and Ryan turned to watch as her voice sounded strange to him when she asked, "What kind of questions?"

"Before he started to ask them I asked who his source was but he said it was confidential and that's when I told him his source was wrong."

"Oh?"

"It didn't sound right to me Kate, and so I told him we never dated, that we'd just worked on a couple of cases together and that was all."

Kate let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and said, "Thank you Tom, I really appreciate that."

Tom chuckled and replied, "Well honestly Kate, we only managed a few dinners and a sparing session. It's not like we really dated, now is it?"

Kate smiled and simply said, "So did he hang up after that?"

"No, and this is why I'm calling you. He wanted to know if we were ever intimate and if I knew of any men you may have been intimate with."

"What?" At that both Esposito and Ryan got up to go to her desk and see what was going on. Whatever this phone call was about, it wasn't good.

"I told him I didn't know anything as you were a detective in homicide and I was in robbery and it was two years ago when we'd worked together and nothing more. He thanked me for my time and hung up."

"Did he say who he was?"

"No, but he had a very cultured sounding British accent. I don't know what this is about Kate, but I wanted you to know that I got the call and told them nothing."

"Thank you Tom, I really appreciate it. I've got to go now but thank you again," she said before she hung up the phone

"Anytime Kate," he said softly to the dial tone as he hung up his phone.

Meanwhile Esposito was asking Kate what the call was all about and she was deflecting him, waiting till Rick got here so they could talk about it.

"It just caught me by surprise, that's all."

Giving her a suspicious look, Esposito said, "Don't think you can just talk us out of this Beckett, we're trained detectives you know." That last half was said with a smile.

Kate smiled back at him and said, "I'll let you know if I need anything…really, you can go back to your desk now."

Shaking his head Esposito turned back and grabbed Ryan's arm to bring him along. They both sat down but instead of working, they chose to watch Kate.

Giving them a glare she turned back to her desk just as her coffee and bear claw arrived. With a big grin she looked up at Rick and said, "Just in time, I was thinking you weren't coming in today."

Sitting down, Rick gave her a puzzled look and said, "Huh? Why?"

Kate smiled and said, "You're almost three minutes late Castle, what should I have thought?"

Leaning back in his seat taking a sip of his coffee Rick said, "Sorry, couldn't be helped. The spaceship that landed near Central Park just messed up traffic all over."

Taking a sip of coffee, she smiled over the rim at him and said, "Spaceship?"

"Yeah, big ugly thing…seems they're looking for designers to make their ships aesthetically pleasing."

"What?"

Before she knew it, Kate was drawn into the story of aliens too embarrassed by their space ships to go anywhere and it was only due to drastic necessity that they landed here at all. Kate was amazed at the detail he supplied of the ugly exterior and brief glimpse everyone had of the even uglier interior. He finished up saying, "So what else could I do but offer the services of my interior decorator and give them directions to her office?"

He then calmly took a sip of his coffee as Kate slowly came back to reality, out from the story he wove. Shaking her head she looked over and saw Ryan and Esposito were sitting slack jawed, staring at Rick, totally engulfed in his story.

"And that, my dear Detective, is why I am three minutes late with your coffee."

"That has got to be the most ridiculous excuse you've ever come up with," Kate said with a smile. "Are you sure you're a best selling author?"

Before he could answer Ryan said, "Wow Castle. I almost wanted to run outside to see the ship myself!"

Esposito had been about to say something when Ryan spoke, and he stopped and stared at his partner. Shaking his head he said, "I am _so_ embarrassed!" then headed off to the break room.

A look of confusion on his face Ryan asked, "What?" and got up to follow Esposito.

With a smile on his face, Rick was putting his cup to his mouth to take another sip when his phone started to ring, "Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" making him jump and spill the coffee on the floor.

As he fumbled in his pocket for the phone Kate laughed and said, "How many times have I told you to change that ring tone."

Narrowing his eyes at her briefly he answered the phone saying, "Hello Pumpkin. Why aren't you at school…oh, I know! You're playing hooky aren't you, I'm so proud!"

Kate could hear Alexis' voice over the phone as he was sitting forward in his chair. "No Dad, I'm not playing hooky, and I am in school today…"

Before she could say anything else he sighed and said, "Well promise me that one day you'll play hooky, please…just once!" Kate thought the look on his face was absolutely adorable and was reaching for her phone to take his photo when Alexis continued.

"I just want to remind you that Grams is picking me up after school and we're going over to her new place to check out the apartment. She wants to be upstairs in her new bedroom and have me make all kinds of noise in the school."

Kate looked at Rick and mouthed the word "Noise?" and he moved the phone from his mouth and said, "Mother wants to check the sound proofing she had installed."

Kate was nodding her head as Alexis asked, "Dad, is that Kate?" When he answered yes she said, "Hand her the phone please."

With a shrug of his shoulders he said, "Hold on," and handed the phone to Kate who took it with a raised eyebrow. Rick said, "I don't know, she wants to talk to you," as Kate took the phone and said, "Hi Lexi, what's going on?"

"You're being there saves me a phone call Kate, I have a message for you and I want to make a date for us to get together, probably at your place so we can have some privacy."

"Sure, we can do that. Lex, is everything all right? Are you ok?"

"Oh sure! It's just…uh Kate, is Dad hovering right now?"

Kate turned her head to see Rick's face mere inches from her, trying to overhear. Looking him in the eyes she answered, "Yes he is Alexis, but I can change that in a second."

Rick's eyes widened as Kate's narrowed when Alexis sighed and said, "I figured he was the minute you asked if I was ok. Will you tell him I'm alright and then we can talk for a few minutes?"

Without blinking an eye Kate said, "Rick, Alexis is fine, she just wants to talk to me in private. Stay here and don't follow." She then got up from her chair and started walking to the break room. Rick started to get up from his chair and without even looking around Kate said, "Castle I said stay in that chair!" then walked into the break room and closed the door.

Rick who was halfway up from the chair, sat back down and looked at Ryan and Esposito who had just returned with a coffee and tea.

"Uncanny," said Ryan, shaking his head.

Esposito shuddered and said, "My mom used to do that to me and my brothers. It's some freaky thing that women have."

Looking worried Ryan asked, "Do you think Jenny has that?"

"No question bro…it's in their DNA. You can't escape it."

With a worried look, Ryan sat down at his desk and turned to look at Beckett standing in the break room watching them while talking on the phone.

"Your dad's at my desk and we're alone now Alexis, so go ahead."

Alexis started to chuckle and said, "I only have a few minutes before my next class but I want to get together to go over the Castle website."

"Castle website?"

"Yeah, I'm the sole administrator on the site and when I go away to college I'll need some help and I thought you wouldn't mind being an Admin along with me."

Kate was stunned, Richard Castle's Website! She'd been a member since it first started and now she would be an administrator? "Alexis, are you sure you want me to do this? Isn't someone like Paula more qualified?"

"Not really Kate. I won't be going to college till next fall, so we have time to go over everything. The main thing to keep in mind is that 99% of what is written there about Dad is not true. There's a lot of supposition and theories about his work and about his relationships…especially about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, it's not bad…well most of it isn't bad, but between us both I think we can keep a handle on the site. It would be a big help to me Kate, and give you more of an idea what Dad has to put up with when he's not with you."

"Why don't we make plans to get together this weekend or next week sometime Lex, I don't want to make a decision without knowing what I'm getting into."

"Makes sense to me Kate, are you coming over for dinner tonight?" When Kate answered yes Alexis said, "We can go over our schedules then and make plans."

"Ok Lex, now what was the message?"

"Oh yes. Chris is arriving tomorrow and wants to get together with you and Dad. He asked me to tell you since Dad keeps forgetting."

"Forgetting huh? Are you sure it isn't on purpose?" Kate asked with a smile as she was watching Rick sitting by her desk.

"I'm pretty sure it's forgetting Kate. He loses track of anything on his mind when he gets near you, so remind him he has to talk to you about Chris and make plans for you to meet."

Kate's smile got even bigger as Alexis said this and she promised she would remind Rick. "Ok then Kate, thanks so much. I have to get to class but I'll see you tonight."

"See you tonight sweetie," Kate said, and they disconnected the call. Walking back to her desk, Kate sat down and handed Rick his phone. "That wasn't too hard, now was it?"

"When did you get eyes in the back of your head?"

"Oh so many layers to the Beckett onion Rick, however will you peel them all?"

A devilish smile came on his face and just as he opened his mouth to speak, she put part of her bear claw in it. "Not at work Rick!"

Chewing slowly he swallowed the pastry and with a playful look in his eyes said, "Spoilsport."

Without picking her head up from her desk Kate projected her voice, saying, "I'm sure you two boys have some work to do."

They had been sitting at their desks, watching the interplay between Rick and Kate when she spoke. As they went back to the work on their desks, Ryan leaned toward Esposito and whispered, "Still uncanny." While Esposito whispered back, "I told you bro, it's in their DNA."

.

.

Four hours later, seated in their booth at Remy's, Kate picked another fry from Rick's plate and asked, "So when are you going to tell me about Chris being in town?"

"Chris is in town? I thought he's arriving tomorrow?"

She turned to her left and looked at him. "Focus, Rick. Focus."

"How can I focus on anything when you're sitting so close to me?"

"I like sitting close to you. We're at lunch, you're my fiancé, and since you're mine I can do anything I want…and right now I want to sit next to you."

"You really don't expect an argument from me about that, do you?"

Smiling at him as she took another fry Kate said, "Nope. So when is Chris coming in tomorrow?"

Picking up his shake and taking a sip he replied, "His plane lands sometime after 2pm"

As he took another sip, a large piece of strawberry was caught in the straw and he couldn't get any of his shake. Picking up the straw, he saw the strawberry stuck to the bottom and wasn't really listening to what she said when Kate gave a big sigh said, "Give me your phone."

Poking the bottom of his straw with a fork to get the strawberry out, he turned to her and asked, "Huh?"

Watching as he attempted to free the strawberry, but actually pushed it further into the straw she said, "Give me your phone please. And all you're doing is packing it further into the straw."

Putting his fork down, Rick handed her his phone and then put the straw up to his right eye as he inspected the piece of strawberry.

Shaking her head as she watched him, Kate unlocked his phone and went through his call list till she found the name Chris. There were several Chris' on the list and she was about to ask him which number was the correct one when she noticed the nicknames associated with the numbers. There was Nick "the barkeep", who must be the one who works at the Old Haunt. Chris "the bouncer", Chris "the catcher" and near that the word "exterminator". Kate had to smile at that, so typical of Rick. Scrolling down, she then found Chris "the man of money", and pressed the call button.

While this was happening, Rick was trying to squeeze the stuck piece of strawberry out of his straw, but only succeeded in flattening the part past the clog. The straw was completely useless so he grabbed Kate's from her shake and used it to take another sip.

Seeing that out of the corner of her eye she said, "Hey! Leave my straw alone," and tried to grab it just as she heard a male voice say, "Ricky! Don't tell me you have a change of plans again."

Kate turned from Rick and said, "Hello Chris? Kate Beckett here…" just as Rick pulled her straw out of his glass and said, "What are the odds of getting two straws clogged with strawberry?"

From the phone, she heard Chris say, "Kate? It's a pleasure to finally talk to you…" just as she said to Rick, "Castle! You better not have clogged my straw!"

As Rick looked at her with worry, she heard Chris say, "Uh, Kate? Did you call at a bad time? I can wait till after you kill him."

Kate turned back to the phone and said, "What? Oh, I'm sorry Chris, he's just done something…"

"Typically Rick?" Chris asked.

Sighing she replied, "Definitely," then put her hand on Rick's arm as he started to lift his glass to his lips. "Hold on a second Chris, Rick the last time you did that you spilled it all over your shirt and the stain didn't come out." Looking outside the booth, she caught the eye of the waitress and waved her over with the phone, all the time never letting go of Rick's arm with her other hand.

"What can I get you Detective?"

"Keren, will you get Mr. Smooth here a long spoon to eat the strawberries and can I have another straw?"

Looking over at Rick, Keren noticed the two straws and Rick's hand on his glass. Turning back to Kate, she said with a grin, "Don't let go or he'll spill all over himself again…I'll be right back."

As Kate watched Keren head toward the kitchen, she put the phone up to her ear to hear Chris laughing. "Hello Chris? Sorry about that…"

He interrupted her saying, "That's alright Kate, on this end it sounded hysterical."

Taking the entire scene in, Kate smiled and said, "I can see how it would."

With a last chuckle, Chris asked, "So what can I do for you Kate?"

"You're arriving tomorrow afternoon, aren't you?" she asked.

"My plane arrives at 2:20pm," he answered.

"Well then, how about coming to the loft for dinner, say around 6?"

"Really?"

"Yes, I understand…hold on a second Chris." Moving the phone from her ear Kate thanked Keren as she put a new straw next to her glass and a long spoon in Rick's shake. With a big smile, she placed a second straw in front of Kate and said, "This is for his shake after he eats all the berries."

Smiling back Kate replied, "Thanks Keren," then turning to Rick she said, "No straw till you use the spoon to get all the pieces out. I don't know why you ordered strawberry, you always get chocolate."

With a glint in his eye Rick picked up the spoon and answered, "Variety is the spice of life my dear Detective, one should always be open to new experiences."

Letting go of his arm but keeping her eye on him she put the phone back up to her ear and said, "Sorry about that Chris."

Laughing, Chris replied, "Don't worry about that Kate. After hearing that conversation I can't pass up the opportunity to meet you."

Now smiling Kate said, "Oh good. Alexis told me you wanted us to meet and why not tomorrow for dinner?"

"Sounds wonderful Kate, and I will have everything with me so we can get you up to speed."

Kate's smile faltered a bit and she said, "Uh, ok. We'll see you tomorrow at 6."

"Looking forward to it Kate, oh, and say "hi" to Rick for me please," and then Chris disconnected the call.

With her eyes still on Rick, she put down the phone and told him, Chris said 'hi', then took her straw out of its paper and started in on her shake. She scooted even closer till their thighs were practically squeezed together, occasionally stealing a french fry from Rick's plate, and simply enjoyed the look of absolute concentration on his face as he searched for every piece of strawberry in his shake. Watching him from the corner of her eye she didn't even wonder at how happy she was doing simple things. As long as they were with Rick, even the simplest things took on a deeper meaning for her. So much so that she didn't even mind the occasional fan or photographer. Even with outsiders present, their time together was special.

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Later that evening, Kate and Alexis were sitting on the couch going over their schedules. Although he tried to join them twice, Rick was banished to the kitchen to clean up after dinner so they were able to make their arrangements without his interruptions.

"My team is on call this week, but I did manage to get tomorrow night off for dinner with Chris."

Looking up from her calendar Alexis smiled at Kate and said, "I think it's great that he's coming over tomorrow. What did Dad say when you told him?"

"Nothing. He was too busy with the strawberries." At Alexis' puzzled look she added with a grin, "Don't ask."

Nodding her head slowly Alexis said, "Okaaay, so Wednesday night is out as I have violin practice…"

Kate nodded her head and added, "Thursday is out for me, even if we have no case I have my yoga and pilates that evening."

With a big grin Alexis replied, "I remember you told me it takes you lots and lots of exercise to stay in shape. I couldn't believe some of the yoga moves you were doing!"

Returning her grin Kate said, "Well, I guess I did show off a little bit, especially after your dad made a joke about it."

Shaking her head with a wry smile Alexis said, "I'm just glad you were able to get him untangled. I was sure he was going to dislocate something!" After a moments pause she said, "How about Saturday afternoon?"

Looking at her schedule Kate answered, "We're off call on Friday midnight and I have no other plans." Raising her head, she looked at Alexis and said, "Where do you want to do this, here or my place?"

"Do what?" Rick asked as he came into the room to join them.

"Alexis is going to show me some tricks on the computer," Kate quickly replied, happy that she really wasn't lying to him when she said that.

"If we don't have a case we should…" she stopped talking as Alexis shook her head.

"Hold on a second Kate," looking at her father Alexis said, "You can see that we're in the middle of a 'women only' conversation Dad, right?"

Looking slightly puzzled Rick replied, "Uh, yes?"

Nodding her head she replied, "Then take a look at the three of us and tell me, which one doesn't belong in a 'women only' conversation?" Kate noticed Alexis never took her eyes off Rick and he soon started squirming in his seat.

Kate watched this and thought, 'Wow. I had no idea she could do that.' At the same time Rick was thinking, 'How the heck does she know what Kate looks like during interrogation?'

Seeing Rick's discomfort rising, Kate decided to join in and pointedly looked at Rick along with Alexis. 'Her eyes look more brown now, with flecks of gold,' he thought as she kept a steely gaze on him.

Looking at both women, he finally put his hands up in surrender and said, "I'm going to my office to write. I know when I'm not wanted." As he stood up and was about to turn away Kate and Alexis jumped up and on either side of him, put their arms around Rick and gave him a giant hug. Then they kissed him on his cheeks and sat back down again, watching as he headed to his office, with a silly grin on his face.

As he entered and closed the door behind him, Alexis turned to Kate and said, "We make a pretty good team, don't we?" With a big grin on their faces, they gave each other a high five and went back to discussing their plans for Saturday.

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Dinner the next day was something Kate never expected, simple and light. Since she was off call that night, Kate was able to leave the precinct early and help Alexis prepare the food. When she arrived at the loft, she found Alexis in the kitchen working on the turkey burgers.

"Turkey burgers?"

"Oh, hi Kate, I thought you were Dad coming home when I heard the door open."

Kate smiled and said, "Actually he's still at the precinct. I told him to stay till 4:30 to help Ryan and Esposito with filing." She paused a moment and grinned at the chuckling Alexis, then said, "He's probably driving them crazy with his complaining. So, turkey burgers?"

"Something simple Kate, that's all Uncle Chris wants, so I made his favorite potato salad and macaroni salad and Dad is going to pick up the coleslaw."

Shaking her head, still puzzled Kate asked, "We're having a picnic for dinner?"

"Uncle Chris really likes salads and doesn't get to eat them often, so whenever he comes over I make him a batch to take back with him."

"Alright, if that's the case, can I help?"

"Sure, you can cut the horseradish cheddar cheese into small pieces so I can stuff them into the burgers."

As Kate cut the cheese into small, thin slices, Alexis explained how she stuffed them into the turkey burgers so the cheese melted inside them while the burgers cooked. Kate was impressed; you had a ready made cheeseburger right off the grill.

With the two of them working, it didn't take long before they had a plate full of burgers ready to be cooked on the Jenn-Air grill, and the kitchen cleaned up. At 5:30 Rick arrived with a large five pound tub of coleslaw from the delicatessen, which he put in the refrigerator with the salads Alexis made.

While Rick and Alexis freshened up, Kate set the table and had everything ready by the time they came back to the kitchen, and then at exactly 6pm the doorbell rang.

Chris was a tall man, standing almost 8 inches taller than Rick. He was losing his hair and instead of bothering with a hairpiece, he simply shaved his head. For a big man he was very graceful when moving around the loft. He told her it was from sailing, making sure to move about the boat safely. When they were alone however, Rick said it was because Chris dated a girl in college who expected him to help with her ballet lessons. Whatever the reason, he seemed to epitomize contrast. He was big but he was graceful. He was a businessman and money manager but he was tanned from sailing. He worked with computers but his hands were calloused. His size made him look intimidating but he had a warm, friendly smile that was quick to appear, and put people at ease. She could see how he and Rick had become friends, and it was obvious they were close.

Alexis opened the door and was immediately engulfed in Chris' huge arms as he picked her up, twirled her around and kissing her on the cheek said, "Hello pumpkin!"

Alexis laughed and was finally put down as Chris turned to Rick and Kate. Walking past Rick who he gave a brief wave and a "hey Rick," Chris walked right up to Kate, put out his hand and when she put hers in his said, "Kate Beckett. You are even prettier than your pictures!" Leaning in slightly he added in a stage whisper, "You have no idea how many pictures of you he has...and none of them do you justice."

Kate couldn't help but like Chris as Rick and Alexis joined them. He was just as witty and quick as Rick, and it was almost eerie how the two of them could start a conversation and complete each other's thoughts. 'Almost like us,' Kate thought as they talked around the dinner table.

Rick smiled, leaned in toward Kate and whispered, "Almost, but not quite."

Kate looked at Rick in surprise and thought, 'Did I say that out loud?' just as Alexis asked, "What are you talking about Dad?"

Dinner went smoothly and after dessert, and making sure he gave Alexis her gift, Chris said, "This has been great. I haven't had this much fun in years, but I think we have some things to go over."

Looking at Rick he said, "Want to do it here in the dining room?"

Rick smiled and said, "Sure, why not? And I want Alexis here too. She's almost eighteen now and she needs to know more than she does."

Nodding in agreement, Chris got up from his chair and went back to the front door where he'd left his computer case. Bringing it over to the table, he set up his laptop and took out a thick envelope, which turned out to be filled with papers.

Rick made coffee and the three sat down across from Chris as he started to explain Rick's finances and fortune to the two women.

At 10pm, Chris said his goodbyes and left so Kate and Alexis could talk more privately with Rick and perhaps absorb better all the information they received. Both Alexis and Kate were stunned, Kate more than Alexis, as she had some idea of what her father was worth and the intricacies of his finances, but what Chris, and Rick told them tonight was more than either had ever expected.

They moved into the living room and the three spoke for another hour, asking questions and trying to get a solid understanding of all they'd heard. Rick noticed that occasionally Kate and Alexis looked at each other, almost having private conversations with their eyes. It warmed his heart to know that Alexis felt so close to Kate and that the feeling was mutual. Alexis had never had a strong female in her life, at least one that actually cared she existed, and Rick knew if anything ever happened to him, Kate would always be there for Alexis…and vice versa.

At 11pm Alexis said she was getting tired and needed to get to sleep. There was way too much information received tonight for her to digest, so giving her father a kiss goodnight, and surprising Kate when she did the same to her, Alexis went up to bed, leaving Rick and Kate alone on the couch.

Kate still could not fathom what she'd heard. Rick wasn't just wealthy, he wasn't simply rich. No, he was even more than a multi-millionaire; he was just what he told her once, filthy rich. Hell, he was beyond filthy rich, now she knew why he really didn't mind when Martha went shopping with his card. Why he was able to just up and buy a bar, how he could misplace a yacht and not worry. It would take several lifetimes to spend what he had, and it was growing every day.

Chris was one of those hedge fund managers who could seemingly do no wrong, and it almost didn't matter if the economy was good or bad, Rick was still going to make money. He really didn't have to write any more, he could probably buy Blackpawn Publishing just to make sure no one ever yelled at him for a deadline again! And from what Chris said, Rick was as big a reason for his wealth as Chris' management was. Rick had an instinct when to buy something that would make money. Chris thought Rick would have been a great money manger, something that really surprised Kate. She knew there were sides to Rick she hadn't seen yet, as there were sides to her he hadn't seen, but there really was a serious man hiding inside the man-child body and personae that Rick showed the world, or even her. She needed time to think and tomorrow morning would come soon enough. She needed to go home and get a better handle on things.

Rick was wondering what she was thinking about. She had a look on her face that he hadn't seen in months, and it worried him. Instead of talking out whatever she was thinking of, he knew she was holding it in, going back to the old Kate Beckett, internalizing everything rather than talking it out. So it came as a surprise when she said, "I think you should have Chris sell the yacht, Alexis doesn't like it and it's not something I really need in my life either."

Looking closely at her he said, "It's still on the market and he thinks he may have a buyer. I told him that Roy and his friends have it this weekend but after that, it's all his."

Nodding her head Kate answered, "Good." Then putting both hands on her knees she stood up and said, "Well, this was certainly a different evening. I should be going now."

Rick stood up with her and putting his hand on her arm said, "Kate, don't go like this. Stay. We can talk or not, but stay."

Shaking her head no, she turned and headed to the breakfast bar to pick up her purse while Rick followed. As she stopped to pick it up Rick put his arms around her in a backwards hug and said, "Kate, please. Don't do this. Don't go back to before."

She stood still, making sure to slow down her breathing before she turned around in his arms. Kissing him on his chin she leaned into him and said, "I need to go home. I need to get a handle on this…"

He interrupted her saying, "Kate, we can do this together. Please don't go back to doing everything alone. What you heard here tonight is not just about me, it's about _us_. About our future. Please, don't turn away from that."

Leaning her head on his shoulder she took a deep breath, breathing in his scent and feeling the emotions that loving Rick Castle always brings. She pulled her head back, looked him in the eyes, and said, "I'm not turning away Rick. I'm not going anywhere. I told you I'm in this for life and I am. I simply need to get back home and get some sleep."

Pulling out of his hug she put her right index finger on his lips, and as he kissed it she said, "Rick. You and me, we're good. We're more than good, and it will take more than a measly few hundred million dollars to scare me away."

As his eyes crinkled in silent laughter she pulled completely away and walked to the door, opening it she turned around and said, "I love you Rick. More than I ever thought I could possibly love anyone. I'll see you tomorrow."

As the door closed behind her, Rick hoped that she kept that thought in mind when she started to go over everything Chris and he had spoken of tonight. At the table several times she looked like she was about to freak out, and he still wasn't sure what he just saw in her eyes. There was worry there that he never anticipated seeing. Running his hand through his hair, we went to the door and opened it. Looking down the hall, he saw the elevator door close and he watched it for a minute before he pulled his head in, closed and locked the door.

With a sigh, he turned off the lights and headed to his bedroom.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: I owe you all a big apology for taking this long to finish the chapter. I tried to push the story line in one direction and it fought me every step of the way. In one three-week period, I only managed to write less than 100 words! I finally surrendered to my muse and got rid of over 3,600 words, re-wrote about 2,000 and then wrote 7,000 new, which finished the chapter. Once I stopped trying to force it, the story flowed, something I should keep in mind with chapter 20. **

**I thank all of you who wrote to make sure I was ok or if anything was wrong, your concern is very much appreciated. The only problem I had seems to have been with my brain, but hey, that's been one of my problems for decades! ;-) RG**


	20. Chapter 20, Partners

Is Forever Possible

Chapter 20, Partners

by RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: Don't own Castle, ABC or Andrew Marlow. I do have the books and the DVD's though, which should count for something.

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Semi Authors Note: This is long. 40 pages in Word and a tad shy of 17,000 words without notes. Just giving you a heads up.

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As Kate entered the elevator after leaving Rick's place, she tried to get a grip on herself but failed. All she could think was will she be able to handle all this…this…she didn't even know what it was that was bothering her. What was making her close herself off from Rick? What was pulling her away from the happiness she'd found, the happiness he'd given her?

But was it true happiness? Was she really happy with Rick and his family? Was she truly and deeply in love with him? She thought about these questions all the way home and while getting ready for bed.

Looking at the time she realized it was almost 2am and she wanted to be at her desk by 7 at the latest. 'Compartmentalize Kate,' she told herself. She had to get a handle on it to be able to figure it out. Whatever 'it' was.

As she sat in her darkened room, her phone chirped and she saw a text from Rick. "Stop thinking and go to sleep." She smiled as she read that. How well he knows her. As she was putting the phone down it chirped again, "Jedi skills. Goodnight love."

'Goodnight love', oh God, can she really handle this? Putting the phone down she scrunched further in her bed and tried to get some sleep. The few short hours remaining promised to fly by faster than she'd like.

'Close your eyes Kate, get some sleep.' she thought. 'Look at this in the light of day.' It felt like hours before sleep finally overtook her. Morning arrived much faster than she hoped.

Going through her normal routine allowed her time to keep thinking, keep pondering; trying to discover what it was that bothered her. Did she love Rick? His texts last night reminded her that she truly did. She was deeply in love with him. Did she lie to him when she said they were good? That she wasn't pulling away? No, and…yes, if she was honest with herself, something that she hasn't been for far too many years.

Clothes, hair and makeup on, she opened the box and stared at the photo of her parents before pulling out the chain holding her mother's ring. She looked at the ring, at the photo in the box, and between them, she looked at the ring on her finger. The ring that Rick gave her. Her ring. His promise and her acceptance of that promise.

She looked at her mother's face and whispered, "What's bothering me Mom? Why am I in such a funk?" She stared at her mother's smiling face and slowly put the chain around her neck, holding her mother's ring up against hers once more before tucking it in under her blouse.

She reached into the box again, pulled out her father's watch and fastened it on her wrist. How many years has she followed the same routine, morning after morning, day after day, year after year. She looked at the watch and noticing the time, closed the lid on the box of her memories, her links, and possibly her chains to the past. She had to leave for work.

Work, where she could bury herself into a case, hide herself in routine, in protocol, in tradition. Where she could sip her coffee…she paused her thoughts. Coffee. Oh God, thoughts of sipping her coffee immediately brought thoughts of Rick. Never in her life did something so simple have so much meaning, something so unassuming be so profound, so important, so vital to her.

A simple cup of coffee in the morning, for all these years a simple way of saying "I love you."

And those two summers when he was gone, when she pushed him away. How much it hurt to not have those cups of coffee in the morning. How violated she felt when Natalie Rhodes took her cup from him. Thinking of her morning coffee, of his simple declaration of love, of caring, of simply being there for her, she felt a thaw.

A cup of coffee representing a word. Always. How many times had he said it to her with word and action? How often had she said it to him the same way?

As she made her way into the precinct she thought, 'Whatever it is that's bothering me can't stand up to the thought of a simple cup of coffee.' She realized as she got to her desk that the funk she was in last night and this morning was slowly going away. Like a flood receding, it was slowly dissolving in the face of Rick's constant. A rock. Her rock.

Sitting down, she looked at his chair and thought, 'What's a lousy few hundred million dollars compared to his love? His constant thoughtfulness? His refusal to be anything less than what I need in my life?'

She picked up her phone and sent him a simple text. As simple as his cups of coffee every morning, as simple as the single six letter word that means so much. Reading it before she hit send caused her to smile. The first smile since the meeting last night with Chris. She hit send and put her phone down with a satisfied sigh.

The anxieties she felt last night through this morning were ebbing, and Kate started sorting the paperwork on her desk, looking forward to the man, the smile, and his declaration of love…fixed just the way she likes it.

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Rick was quietly stirring his coffee when he heard the chirp of his phone, telling him he had a text from Kate. He hardly slept all night, worried that she was backing down, pulling away. Building walls.

Although his two texts early this morning went unanswered, he knew she was up and that she received them. Here it was a little after 7am, and he was starting to freak out again, wondering what was going on in her mind.

So it was with trepidation that he picked up his phone to read the text Kate just sent.

"We're more than good Rick, much more."

He had to remind himself to breathe. 'Ok, gonna save this one,' he thought. 'Top ten texts of all time!'

He put down his phone and forgetting the coffee, rushed to his bedroom to wash and change. He had an appointment with two cups of coffee in two hours, and he didn't want to be late.

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At 8:05am her phone rang. Picking it up she heard Lanie ask, "Girl, who is Reginald Pierce and what does he want with you?"

"Lanie? What? Pierce?" Kate didn't know what Lanie was talking about.

"Reginald Pierce. You don't know who he is?"

"No I don't Lanie, why are you asking?"

"'Cause Kate, he sure wants to know you, or rather, _about_ you."

"Wait a minute. About me?"

"Kate, you'd better get down here. We can't discuss this over the phone."

"Ok Lanie, I'll head down now," Kate answered and hung up the phone. Quickly picking up her cell phone in case Rick called or texted, she headed toward the morgue.

Ten minutes later, she and Lanie being the only live people in the morgue, Kate exclaimed, "He wanted to know _what_?"

"You heard me."

"But why would any…" Kate paused and Lanie looked at her expectantly. "Tom," she finally said.

"Tom? Tom who?" Lanie asked.

"Tom Demming. He called me Monday morning to let me know he'd gotten a call from a man with what sounded like a proper British accent, and this person wanted to know if we'd ever had sex."

"Did you?"

"No! We hadn't gotten to that point before I broke it off."

"Sorry, but I saw him kiss you, and I saw you kiss him back. Personally I don't know how, the man has no lips…"

"Lanie! Back to Pierce!"

"Ok girl, I'm just saying. This guy Pierce called here really early this morning, almost as soon as I got in, and knew that I was a friend of yours."

"How did he know that?"

Lanie put both her hands up and made the sign of quotation marks, "Says he has a 'source' that told him we were friends."

"A source?"

"Funny, that's what I asked."

At Kate's look, Lanie continued, "Anyway I asked him who this source was and he wouldn't tell me, just asking if I knew who you'd been intimate with in the past few years since you met Castle."

Lanie stopped when she saw the worried look on Kate's face. "Kate? What's wrong? What's this all about?"

"I don't know Lanie, but something tells me it's about Rick, or maybe the two of us." Shaking her head she said, "Whatever this is about, Rick and I will need to discuss it."

"Well if you need some privacy, you're welcome to come down. Ain't nobody going to go telling secrets around here."

Kate smiled, put her hand on Lanie's arm and said, "Thanks Lanie. If we need it, I'll let you know." She got up from the chair and turned to leave when Lanie said, "Honey, if you need any help, I mean any at all, you know where to come."

Kate turned back and gave Lanie a smile, saying, "Thanks Lanie. It means a lot to me, and I know Rick will feel the same."

She turned around and headed to the elevator, a whole new problem going through her mind. 'Who is Reginald Pierce and why is he asking questions about me?'

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At 9am on the dot the elevator doors opened and Rick stepped out with a spring in his step that let Kate know he'd received her text. Not only received it, but understood it completely. She watched with a joy of ownership as he made his way to her desk and sat down in his chair. His blue eyes looked into hers and asked if she was all right, and her eyes smiled back at his, saying she was, and they would talk about it later.

All that took only a few seconds before he smiled and put her coffee and bear claw on the desk in front of her. "Thanks, Castle," Kate said with a smile as she picked up the cup and took a sip.

That's all that was said, but a world of meaning was sent with those two words. The little stress lines on his face that he carried in with him suddenly vanished, and Kate saw again the nine year old on a sugar rush that somehow, inexplicably in the past three years had become precious to her.

She opened the bag and took out her bear claw. "Mmmm, still warm."

"But of course my dear detective, I wouldn't dare to bring it otherwise."

"One day Castle you're just going to say something simple, like 'Yep', and the world will probably end."

Rick put a smug look on his face and she realized she'd given him an opening. She braced herself for what he was going to say but before he could say a word, her phone rang.

'Saved by the bell,' she thought as she picked it up and said, "Beckett."

"Becks, you've got a problem," were the first words that Maddie said to Kate.

"Hello to you too Maddie, and what problem?"

"Reginald Pierce, that's who your problem is."

"Ok Maddie, who is this guy and how do you know about it?"

"He stopped at Q3 last night. Seems he managed to drag himself in on someone else's reservation, and started asking me questions about you."

"What did he want to know?"

"Well first he insinuated that he would give me a great review if my information was helpful, and started asking questions on how we knew each other. He made a point of looking at a pad of notes and asking me what you were like in high school and if you were sexually active with anyone."

"What!"

"When I told him the interview was over and I hoped he enjoyed his meal he said if I turned him away he'd give the restaurant a bad review, and continue to do so every week till he closed me down."

"A bad review? Maddie who _is_ this guy?"

"Have you ever heard of the weekly magazine New York Secrets?"

"One of those scandal rags, isn't it?"

"A bit more upscale, but he's as big a slime ball as you'll ever find in the business."

"And he's asking questions about _me_?"

Looking worried Rick asked, "What's the matter Kate? Who's asking questions about you?"

"Hold on a sec Maddie, I want Rick to hear what you're telling me and we have to go somewhere else for privacy," Kate said as she got up from her desk with her coffee and headed for the conference room. Rick picked up his coffee and the rest of her bear claw and followed.

When they got to the conference room, she saw it was being set up for a meeting so they turned and entered interrogation room one. Sitting down at the table, she put her phone on speaker and told Maddie to continue, as Rick sat down next to her.

Kate half listened to Maddie and half-watched Rick. She could see the worry on his face slowly turning to something she never saw before, not just anger, but rage. Pure animal rage. She put her hand on his arm to calm him down.

As Maddie finished speaking, Kate thanked her very much and asked her to keep them in the loop if any new information turned up. She had to be the one to speak, as Rick seemed incapable of uttering a single word. His anger was so great that she had to force his hand open and was surprised to see that his fingernails left deep impressions into his palm.

If eyes are the windows to the soul, Kate knew that what Rick felt was beyond anything she could put a name to. She knew about having an 'icy stare', and she knew how to give one when interrogating a suspect. But never in her life had she seen anything like what was in Rick's eyes at this moment. It actually frightened her. The sun would freeze in that look. His eyes were devoid of anything remotely compassionate, caring or loving. She hated to see that look in his eyes and never wanted to again.

Keeping her hand on his arm, Kate kept speaking in a soft and mesmerizing voice, saying over and over, "Rick, it's ok. Calm down." Finally after what seemed hours but was only minutes, Rick began to compose himself and breath normally again.

Seeing this, Kate started to tell him about the call from Lanie this morning and the one from Demming yesterday. Rick watched her as she spoke and then mumbled to himself something that sounded to Kate like 'I'll kill him.'

Grabbing his arm she said forcefully, "Richard Castle, don't you _ever_ say anything like that again about anyone! I don't care who or what they are! You're too good a man to stoop so such a low level."

When Rick turned his eyes to her, she saw only love, trust, devotion and something else, something she hadn't expected to see from him but which warmed her heart. Simple, heartfelt gratitude.

As he smiled at her, she was relieved to see it reach his eyes. He closed them briefly and took a deep breath before opening them and softly saying, "Kate, I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, but I am so damn thankful you're in my life. I love you so much."

"I know Rick, I feel the same, and love you so much." She rose from her chair, placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Let's get back to my desk; I need to check my messages." Rick then got up from his seat and said he'd have to call Paula. They had to start putting together everything they knew about Pierce and what he was doing in order to properly defend against him. Rick had dealings with Pierce before and he knew they needed to be prepared.

Reginald Pierce was no one's friend. Conversely, he was everyone's enemy. He made a game out of destroying people he didn't like, especially people who didn't pay him the homage he believed he deserved. The Hollywood gossip columnists of the 1930's thru 1950's were never as feared as Pierce. He was hateful and relished hurting people, and now he was going after Kate Beckett simply because she fell in love with, and was engaged to, Richard Castle.

As they made their way to Kate's desk, Rick felt his hands clenching into fists, and he had to force himself to loosen them, to let go of his rage at this man who was attacking Kate. He had to keep telling himself to calm down, if not for himself, for Kate. She needed him at his best, not overcome with anger. She needed his brain, not his brawn and he was determined to do anything and everything she needed from him.

When they arrived at her desk, Kate found Karpowski and one of her detectives waiting for her. A member of her team had been injured while attempting to arrest a suspect and Captain Montgomery wanted both teams to work on the case. No one hurt his people and got away with it. No one.

Kate was to stay behind as liaison at the precinct with Castle while Ryan and Esposito went in the field with Karpowski. "No heroics, I mean it! Wear your vests at all times. This guy is bad and I don't want you getting hurt!"

Esposito grinned and said, "Wow Beckett! I didn't know you cared."

Kate narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "If anyone is gonna hurt you Esposito, it's me…vest and GPS and no excuses!"

Grinning, he replied, "You got it Boss." Turning to Ryan he said, "Come on, Mom and Dad have our backs here." Then together the two detectives headed out to help Karpowski's team.

Kate sat at her desk and Rick sat at Ryan's as they went over every detail that had been given to them. A little over an hour later Rick thought he found something and Kate came over to view it. About a minute later they were relaying it to Karpowski and the team was on their way to the suspect's home.

Standing behind them, Montgomery watched as Castle found the vital information and gave it to Beckett to pass on to the detectives in the field. He gave a brief smile then said, "Good work Castle. Glad I never listened to Beckett and kept you on!" He turned away with a grin on his face as Beckett's mouth hung open.

Before Rick had a chance to comment she said, "I need more coffee," and turned away, taking quick steps to the break room. Rick simply smiled, relishing the knowledge Roy gave him and knowing that the longer he waited to mention it to Kate, the more she'd wonder what he was up to. Rubbing his hand together, he reminded himself not to appear too happy when she returned, and to act like nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Taking her time making her coffee, Kate wondered just what devilish plan Rick was cooking up to get back at her for that comment all those years ago. As she finished stirring in the cream, Rick walked in with his cell phone on his ear saying, "Hold on a second Ryan, she's right here," then he handed her his cell phone.

Kate put the phone to her ear and listened as Ryan said they just got the guy they were chasing, and they'd be in within the hour. Kate said she'd have everything ready for them and disconnected the call.

As she handed the phone back to Rick he said, "How about I go get some pizza's for the teams when they get back, they'll probably be hungry."

Kate nodded her head yes and said, "I'm not in the mood for pizza though."

"And what are you in the mood for my dear detective?" he asked in a suggestive voice.

Instead of being playful, Kate looked at him thoughtfully and said, "I'm not really sure Rick, why don't you just surprise me?"

With that, she headed out the door to her desk, already thinking through the steps needed to get their suspect into interrogation.

Rick watched her for a moment, then smiled and headed to the elevator. Passing Montgomery's office he asked, "I'm going for pizza Roy. You want anything?"

Looking up from his desk Montgomery thought a moment and said, "How about a meatball sub? I haven't had one of those in years."

Nodding his head Rick said, "Meatball sub, you got it," as he started to walk away he pulled back, looked into the office again and asked, "That meatball sub going to be ok with Evelyn?"

Montgomery looked up and scowled at Castle, who pulled back saying, "Don't talk to Evelyn…got it," and then hurried to the elevator. Montgomery smiled and said to himself, "It's better than the tabouli salad sandwich she made me."

While Rick was out getting lunch for the teams, Kate made the arrangements to arraign the suspect and had the interrogation room ready for this afternoon. As she finished her request that he be brought to holding immediately after processing, her phone rang.

"Beckett."

"Ah, Detective Beckett, it's a pleasure to finally speak to you."

Not sure what the phone call was about, Kate was about to ask when she realized the man on the other end had a very cultured British sounding accent.

"Detective Beckett, are you still there?"

Gathering herself together, Kate answered, "Yes. Yes I'm here. Who is this please?"

"Oh my, please forgive me for my lack of manners, my name is Reginald Pierce."

Deciding it was best to play nonchalant, Kate asked, "How can the NYPD be of help to you Mr. Pierce?"

"Actually it's not the NYPD that can help me Detective Beckett, but yourself."

"Me?"

"Yes indeed," he replied. Kate noticed that his smooth voice was modulated to seem friendly and helpful, as if he were someone to be trusted. She wasn't buying that for a second.

"In that case, how may I be of help to you Mr. Pierce?"

"I'm hoping that I can have a quote from you for the piece we're writing."

Deciding it was best to act as if she had no idea who he was Kate responded with, "If you need the opinion of a police officer for your story, I'm afraid you'll have to go through the proper channels and contact the Commissioner's Office."

Pierce chuckled and said, "Oh this isn't for a professional consultation, detective. My paper is writing a story on you and I thought you'd like the opportunity to view it and make comments before it's published."

Kate was stunned. "Excuse me, did you say a story about me? Why me?"

"My readers are interested in you detective. You are, after all one of New York's finest. You and your team have the second highest closure rate in the city, and you have the highest in the Homicide division. A major accomplishment considering how many precincts this city has. In addition, you are engaged to Richard Castle, a famous and important figure in the city himself. A man who has followed you for almost four years now and has made you, or rather, created a character based on you, as the heroine of his latest series of books. His most popular series, I'm given to understand."

"And your readers are interested in me?"

"Why yes detective, we've been working on the story for a few weeks now and it's almost complete and ready for print. I just hoped you'd give us some comments on it before we go to press."

Kate's mind was in a whirl, her thoughts racing every which way; she was unable to get a grasp on the situation. She was both happy and unhappy that Rick wasn't here. Unhappy in that she was facing a situation with the press on her own, with someone that was asking her co-workers and friends personal questions about her, and yet happy that he wasn't there because of how angry he became when he heard what Maddie had to say.

'Think Kate, think! Who can help with the press?' And then it came to her, Paula. Paula was Rick's buffer with the press. She could be sweet as pie one moment and a barracuda the next.

She realized that Pierce was speaking again and tried to catch up on what he said, "…so why don't I just fax you over the story and you and read it at your leisure, either there at work or bring it home with you."

Kate was surprised at how calm her voice sounded as she said, "Actually Mr. Pierce, Paula Hass is the person that Rick uses for press relations, why don't you send it to her and she can pass it on to me?"

"I was hoping for an unbiased opinion Detective Beckett. I'm afraid if I send it to Ms. Hass, she will read it first and may color your interpretation of it. At any rate it's a moot point as my secretary is already sending it to your fax machine. You are currently in the Homicide Division, aren't you?"

"Yes I am."

"Oh good. In that case I suggest you go to the fax machine as quickly as possible so no one else has the opportunity of reading the story until you do. And when you're finished you can always call me here or on my cell." He gave her his numbers, which she quickly wrote down, and then hanging up her phone, Kate ran to the fax machine where the last page of the story was printing out.

No one else was around so she quickly picked up the pages and automatically stapled them together. There were five pages, including the cover sheet that simply said, "For Detective Beckett's eyes only" on it, and she made sure the cover sheet was the first page as she walked back to her desk.

Sitting down, she looked around to make sure no one was nearby and wondered why she was doing that before she started to read.

**Nikki Heat was My Love Slave**

**This paper had the opportunity to speak to a very special man, Dr. Joshua Davidson, one of the greater metropolitan area's most promising thoracic surgeons. Not only is he one of the best surgeons in New York, not only does he donate his time and talents to Doctors Without Borders, but according to the women on our staff, Dr. Davidson is drop dead "gorgeous". We can understand why Detective Kate Beckett, the inspiration for Nikki Heat, fell so madly and passionately in love with him. At slightly over 6 feet 3 inches tall, he works out at a local gym and is in great shape. He has chiseled good looks, dark hair, caring eyes and a dazzling smile. My photographer, who has kept herself fully professional in many situations, told me she found it difficult to keep from throwing herself on him.**

"**Yes, Kate and I dated," Dr. Davidson said, but we learned there was so much more. The future Mrs. Castle fell hard and fast for the handsome doctor, and was so deeply in love that she would do anything or go anywhere just to please him. It has even been suggested that she would sneak away from crime scenes to grab a little afternoon delight from the good doctor. A separate source close to the doctor states that she was virtually his "love slave" and they shared an apartment that looked more like the inside of a "harem" than a New York condo.**

Kate put the papers down with shaking hands and felt a wave of nausea come over her. She hadn't even finished the first page, but she couldn't read any more. It wasn't subtle, it was just suddenly there. Everything that had been solid, sure, comforting, reliable and stable suddenly wasn't. The rock of surety she had since the proposal now felt unsteady, like sand beneath her feet.

She found herself breathing heavier and felt the vertigo of her emotions spiraling out of control. This attack, because that is the only thing she could call it, was so underhanded, and so vile, was ninety-nine percent lies. But it had that one percent of truth to make it sound plausible. Never in her life did she ever imagine something so despicable happening to her.

She wanted to crawl away, to run, to hide, to pretend this was not happening; but it was. With a satanic sense of glee, Pierce had taken the most beautiful thing in her life, her engagement, her relationship with Rick, and twisted it into something ugly. For the first time in her life since she became a police officer, Kate was losing her moral ground. Pierce was becoming something low, something repellent; he was no longer human in her eyes. His was a loathsome presence, and she found herself thinking the world would be a better place without him in it.

She looked back at the so called story and after a few more minutes had to put it down. It started to go into detail of their supposed sex life, not anything pornographic, but enough innuendo and bald faced lies to make her sound like a nymphomaniac. She couldn't read any more, she felt physically sick.

It was at that moment Rick walked in with lunch, followed by Karpowski and the teams. Kate mentally shook herself and put on her detective mask. She could do this. She will go over this later with Rick, but for now, she had to be a NYPD detective and help put a criminal behind bars.

She took the offending papers, opened the bottom right drawer of her desk, and put them in her purse. No one was going to get a glimpse of that story until she could show it to Rick. This brought on a slew of worried thoughts. 'What will he think of me after he reads this?' 'Will he still love me when he reads this trash?' 'Will he know that these are lies?'

These and other thoughts were going through her mind as he walked up to the desk and handed her a greek salad with extra feta cheese in it.

"I knew you didn't want Italian, and this is one of the lightest salads they make."

Kate gave a wane smile and thanked him for the salad but said she'd eat it later. She wasn't hungry now.

"You haven't eaten anything other than the bear claw this morning Kate," Rick said worriedly. "Try to eat a little, it's freshly made," he said with a hopeful smile.

Pushing it back to him she said, "Put it in the fridge Rick. If anyone wants it, they can have it. I have no appetite now."

"Kate? Are you all right? Is anything wrong?"

Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, Kate leaned in to Rick and said, "I got a phone call from Reginald Pierce while you were gone." She paused a moment and added, "It's almost like he knew you weren't here."

Rick immediately sat up in his chair, a dangerous look suddenly appeared on his face as he asked, "What did he say?"

Noticing Karpowski heading over Kate hurriedly said, "I'll tell you about it later," and turned to face Karpowski to talk about the case.

The rest of the afternoon was spent working on the case Karpowski's team had caught and Ryan and Esposito's assistance in the capture. The split between both teams, the paperwork took less time than usual, and at 5pm Kate got up from her desk, said goodnight to her team, and headed to the elevator with Rick. She could see he was jumping at the chance to speak to her alone. As the elevator doors opened she said, "Not till we get back to my place."

"Your place?" he asked.

Looking into his eyes she said, "Yeah, my place. We're definitely going to need privacy for this."

Rick nodded his head and together they made their way to her car and had a quiet ride to her apartment.

They had no sooner entered the apartment, and Rick closed the door when Kate threw her arms around Rick in a tight hug. He put his arms around her and realized she was crying.

They stood there for a few minutes until Kate slowly pulled away and walked to her couch. When she sat down, she opened her purse and took out the 'story' Pierce had sent and quietly handed it to Rick.

Not saying a word he took it from her hands and started to read. After a few seconds he put it down and picked up his cell phone. After a few rings a voice answered and Rick said, "Steve? We need to see you ASAP."

.

.

It was 6am the following morning, and Rick and Kate were sitting in the office of Rick's lawyer and friend Steve O'Connor. Steve looked like a lawyer, more like the type of lawyer seen in 1950's movies and television, rather than the present. Simply sitting there reading the trash Pierce had sent Kate, he practically exuded a sense of justice, of knowledge and most of all, complete confidence in his abilities. That he could and would do whatever necessary for right to triumph over evil. That was how Rick described him and Kate could only agree.

Steve didn't look old but he gave a sense of years of knowledge and experience just by his bearing and his speech. He was actually a college friend of Rick's, and from what she heard from Rick and Martha, a very close friend, yet he seemed the complete opposite of Rick...and Chris. More staid, more respectable. Not given to any of the excesses that Rick is prone to, and from what she heard, Chris seems to emulate.

He was almost as tall as Rick and his suit screamed 'money'. He was thin, with dark hair and brown eyes. Those eyes hardly showed any emotion, as she noticed during the meeting. No matter how angry he was, or how upset, he managed to keep his face calm and business like the whole time. Rick later told Kate that Steve spent hours practicing his facial expressions in a mirror and took lots of photos of himself making those expressions while in college. Kate was shocked when Rick said he'd patterned this after Adolph Hitler, who practiced his facial and body expressions in a mirror for days before a speech.

Steve O'Connor was determined to be the best in the profession, and knew that juries could be influenced by the performance of the lawyer. When Kate heard this she was a bit leery to meet him but found herself liking Steve within a few minutes. He truly cared for Rick and that was a big plus in her decision.

Steve had called Pierce's office immediately after Rick told him what happened, and was put in touch with Pierce's lawyer, who strongly hinted that the story could be buried with certain conditions. Kate was surprised when he told her what those conditions were.

Sitting next to Kate in Steve's office, to the left of Kate, was Paula. Right after Rick hung up from calling Steve, Kate suggested they call Paula, and Rick mentally kicked himself for forgetting he had a pit bull he could use when needed.

Paula was reading her own copy and held on to Kate's hand at the same time, occasionally squeezing it, giving support while she herself was outraged at what she read.

Kate looked over to Rick, and saw that his anger was controlled, although she thought that inside he must be hurting badly. She felt worse than before, as she believed she was the person who caused him this hurt.

Rick must have sensed her eyes were on him as he lifted his head from his copy and looked back at her. Her heart was breaking, thinking that this could be the end of them when she saw something in his eyes that she didn't expect. Love. Unconditional love.

He gave her a smile and extended his hand out to hers, gave her a squeeze and said, "Pick up your copy again, I'm looking at these so called facts and something doesn't add up."

She couldn't move, she just stared at him, her eyes wide with wonder and fear. His smile changed and she thought of a predator, knowing its prey was in reach, waiting for the right opportunity. As she thought this he said in a lower voice but filled with more determination than she'd ever heard, "We are going to bury that piece of garbage masquerading as a human being…I promise you Kate, this will never see print."

She shook her head and said more to herself than to the rest of the room, "I just can't believe that Josh would say things like this. I just don't believe it."

Steve looked up from his copy and said, "Well, he is conveniently away working for Doctors Without Borders and they didn't seem too keen to help me contact him last night."

Kate thought a moment then said, "I could call his office, maybe his receptionist will tell me how to contact him."

Steve looked at Kate and asked, "Did she know that you and he dated?"

Nodding her head Kate answered, "Yes. He set up his office a few weeks after he canceled his trip to Haiti last year and one evening I met her there."

Rick said with a smile, "After the last time you met, when you threatened to have him arrested if he didn't come by with the copy of your key, I doubt she'll be thinking nice thoughts about you."

Kate felt frustrated, "We have to get in touch with him to find out if he really did say all these things or the paper made them up."

Steve added, "I'm under the impression they made them up." Turning to Rick he said, "Remember they suggested they would kill the story if the charges against those two reporters were dropped," then turning to Kate he added, "And I might add the only quote from Davidson is that you and he dated."

Rick was thinking when he suddenly smiled, "Hey, does his receptionist know Esposito or Ryan?"

Kate shook her head no and added, "She never saw them and probably never heard of them. Josh only saw them a couple of times himself."

Rick's smile got wider and he said, "Well then, how about Esposito and Ryan contact his office, maybe go there, tell them they have a case where they need an expert opinion and heard that Dr. Davidson is the best there is, and that they would really appreciate it if she could help them get in touch with him. You know, important to the case and all that. I know Ryan could really pull that off."

Kate thought about that for a minute, "I don't know Rick…" looking to Steve she asked, "Could they get in trouble for doing that?"

"I don't believe so, not really. Remember nothing they are doing is in any way harmful to Dr. Davidson. At least if he didn't say any of these lies."

Kate pondered that for another minute then said, "Ok, but I don't want them to know the reason why yet. They get all big brother protective and that could ruin their chances of finding the information we need."

While Kate said that, Rick nodded his head in agreement then turned to Steve, "You have no idea how many people have told me no one would ever find my body if I hurt her and those two were the first."

Steve looked at Rick in alarm but Kate smiled and said, "Just being protective. That's one reason why I never let them know who I went out with. Other than Will and Josh, Rick is the only man I've ever gone out with more than a few times." She smiled and squeezed the hand he still had on hers, "And he's the only one they knew I was really serious about."

Steve nodded his head in confirmation, "Ok, then we'll have Ryan and Esposito find out how to get in touch with Davidson and proceed from there. Pierce's lawyer gave us a week to think it over, let's make the most of that time."

He reached to the side of his chair and picked up his briefcase, opened it and put his copy of the so-called story inside before closing it up and putting it down again.

Rick thought a moment and said to Kate, "Have them use different names if possible, she may call Josh and he'd know who they are."

Kate nodded her head yes and handed her copy to Rick. Turning to Paula she said, "Can you keep an eye out to make sure this doesn't leak out?"

Paula gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes and said, "I promise you Kate, we will roast his ba…"

Steve interrupted and said, "I really don't need to hear that, let me leave and then you can take all the time you need to discuss how you will roast Reginald Pierce over a slow fire. I'm going to get some breakfast, so I will bid you good day now." Turning to Kate he said, "I really wish we'd met under different circumstances, but after seeing you two together I understand why Rick said no to the pre-nup. I look forward to the day this is over and we can really get together to talk about happier things."

Kate smiled, stood up and shook his hand saying, "Thank you Steve, I look forward to that day too."

He nodded his head and left the room and Paula proceeded to tell Kate and Rick the many, many plans she has to destroy Reginald Pierce.

.

.

Later that day they were sitting in Paula's office during Kate's lunch hour, waiting anxiously for the results of Paula's telephone call. She'd contacted Pierce's office and was set up for a call with him at 1pm. Rick, Kate and Paula had gone over the story practically word by word and found many glaring errors in the supposed time line. This gave Kate some hope, while Rick and Paula grinned with expressions that reminded Kate of alligators waiting for prey.

Paula promised she would record the call and a few minutes later opened her door and told them to come in. As Rick and Kate sat down she started the tape and they listened to the conversation that just ended.

"Mr. Pierce, Detective Beckett truly doesn't have more to say than that. If Dr. Davidson feels the need to lie about his relationship with her to boost his ego, that's his problem. If you've paid him good money for that story, well, that's your problem."

"Ms. Haas, Dr. Davidson is a well respected surgeon who donates his time and talents to Doctors Without Borders, to suggest that he would fabricate these allegations about Ms Beckett is to…"

"Mr. Pierce, you don't need to stand on a soap box and make a speech to me. We deny his claims, and I think what is the most telling argument against his tales is the fact that Detective Beckett dumped him. As she told me, the difference between Dr. Davidson and Mr. Castle is like night and day.

"It is true that Dr. Davidson donates his time and talents to Doctors Without Borders, but that also means that he is not here. Not here as in not being with his girlfriend, or as your paper wrote, 'his love slave.' Frankly Mr. Pierce I'm truly surprised that your paper even considered writing this story having investigated Dr. Davidson's claims."

"But Ms. Haas…"

"Mr. Pierce, even the most basic of investigations shows that Dr. Davidson spent more than seven months away in the past twelve months, serving Doctors Without Borders; and looking at his hospital records shows he hardly had any time off from his shift and emergency work to be setting Detective Beckett up in a 'love nest' as your story states.

"Detective Beckett is saddened that Dr. Davidson has misrepresented the facts in the brief relationship he had with her, and that an honest look at the time they dated shows there were very few opportunities for them to be together due to their heavy and important work schedules."

"Ms. Haas…"

"Frankly Mr. Pierce, both Mr. Castle and Detective Beckett are surprised that you would even call them for a statement about these obviously false statements. As Mr. Castle's publicist, it is my responsibility to make sure such falsehoods are repudiated and proven false before they are printed, to save not only my clients from the pain of having to prove them wrong, but also the institution that reports those lies from being damaged in the resulting lawsuit."

"Now Ms. Haas, threatening us with…"

"Mr. Pierce, I am not threatening you at all. I am merely pointing out the facts that the stories Dr. Davidson allegedly told you of his relationship with Detective Beckett are just that, stories. As I said before, Mr. Castle and Detective Beckett have no idea why he would do what he did. My own personal feelings, and who knows if they're correct or not, is that he is jealous. I can't say if my feelings are true or not, but I'd suggest you look at the facts of their brief relationship…"

"They were dating for over seven months!"

"On paper that's true Mr. Pierce, but he was with Doctors Without Borders for almost four of those months, and their heavy work schedule barely allowed them time for more than a half dozen dates. Dr. Davidson even had to cancel dinner on Valentine's Day due to emergency work at the hospital. That was one of the few times they thought they'd actually be able to see each other in almost three weeks."

Sighing on the phone Pierce said, "Ms. Haas, the fact remains that Dr. Davidson has signed a statement stating his version of their relationship is true. Now if you have any information to suggest he lied…"

"Mr. Pierce, a cursory look at their work records will do that in a few minutes. Your paper claims to have the best reporters in the business; perhaps one or more of them would like to take an afternoon to check out his story. Frankly, from what you've said, and the story you faxed to Detective Beckett, you haven't bothered to fact check at all."

"Ms. Hass…"

"I'm sorry Mr. Pierce, but I have to end this call as I have meetings to attend. Please keep in mind that although you have Dr. Davidson's story, we have the facts that prove his story false. You're the editor of the paper Mr. Pierce, the decision is up to you, but I strongly suggest you check the facts before printing it. It is for your own good.

"And one more thing Mr. Pierce, don't bother Detective Beckett with these kind of lies and innuendo again. You called her at the police station and faxed her on the police fax machine. You may want to recall that two of your reporters are currently before a judge for interfering with police. A good lawyer might say you did the same by harassing her at her job."

"But Ms. Haas!"

"Goodbye Mr. Pierce. And once again, check your facts."

The recording ended with the click of Paula hanging up the phone. She looked at Kate and Rick with a smile on her face and said, "God that felt good! I've wanted to put that piece of garbage down ever since he settled our lawsuit out of court."

Kate asked, "Do you think that will be enough to stop him?"

Paula sighed and said, "Honestly Kate, I don't think so. He claims to have a signed statement from Dr. Davidson attesting to all these lies. Frankly you and Rick may be needing Steve's services, if not to stop the story, at least to give me the legal ammunition to fight back in the press."

Shaking her head Kate said, "I don't believe Josh would ever lie like that. When we first broke up it was friendly, no arguments. I even wished him safe travels when he went away with Doctors Without Borders to Japan to help after the Tsunami. Granted he was an idiot when he came back, and I had to threaten to arrest him to leave me alone. But I can't believe he would ever say things like this."

Rick put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Sometimes Kate, jealousy can make a person do things he or she would never really do."

"But Rick…"

"No Kate, it can happen. Even happened to me in my Freshman year at college."

She looked at him and her eyes got wide, "You?"

"Yeah, I'm not proud of this, but the girl I was dating decided we were no longer exclusive when this other guy got tickets to a concert she wanted to go to."

He closed his eyes briefly as the memory came back, when he opened them they looked sad, "I knew where the concert was and while it was going on, I entered the parking lot, found his car and took the air out of three tires."

Shocked at what he said, Kate asked, "Rick, you slashed his tires?"

Shaking his head no, he said, "No, no, I didn't slash the tires, I used my key on the valve and let all the air out. I started to get nervous and left after the third tire."

"What happened?"

"She told me the next day at school what a great time she had till they left and had three flat tires. He called a garage and they towed the car, then filled up the tires and he brought her back to the dorm."

He sighed and said, "I felt terrible and after finding out how much it cost him, I sent an anonymous envelope in his student mail with the cash to cover the cost, and then some."

"What happened then?"

"A few months later there was another concert and she went with him again. Seems he used the money I sent to buy the tickets. After that, I broke up with her. I realized she wasn't worth my time, my money or my guilty conscience."

Breaking the somber mood Rick created, Paula asked, "So what does that have to do with this slime attack piece on Kate?"

Looking at Paula he said, "Nothing. Other than to say it is possible that Motorcycle Boy did say these awful things simply to hurt Kate for breaking up with him."

Kate looked unhappy. "Steve hasn't been able to get in touch with him at all?"

"As of fifteen minutes ago, Doctors Without Borders would try to get in touch with Davidson only in an emergency. Otherwise since he's out in the field, they'll hold the message till he gets back into the city."

"And when would that be Rick?" Paula asked.

Rick sighed when he answered, "Not for another three weeks, according to his schedule."

Kate added, "He's either out of cell range, changed his number or isn't answering because he really said it. Every time I've tried to call I just get the recording to leave a message."

She sat a moment and frustration finally getting the better of her she burst out, "Dammit, I feel so helpless! This piece of slime is going to ruin my reputation, both in the department and personal, and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to stop him!"

As Rick leaned over to put his arm around her, he heard her whisper, "I'm going to fail here like I've failed my mom."

His voice filled with emotion Rick said, "Kate, you cannot ever fail your mother! You haven't let me down and you _will not_ fail here. You have not failed and you will not fail. We just found out about this yesterday and already we've found so many holes in this story, so many places where it is fairly easy to prove wrong."

Kissing her cheek he said, "Kate, remember there is nothing that we can't do together. Nothing!"

As Kate looked up at Rick Paula added, "Let me tell you that I have never seen Rick as committed to anyone as I see with you. I never saw anyone he dated as committed to Rick as you are. Kate, you two are a team made in heaven. Don't let this piece of slime pull you down, his plot is already unraveling."

Rick added, "Remember Kate, 'Partners.' We have the strength and the means to beat this guy, and we will."

Leaning her head on his shoulder, Kate said, "Rick, everything was going so well. I was so happy, and now…"

"Now. Now we're going back to the precinct and get together with Ryan and Esposito, and we're going to start taking Pierce and his lies down," Rick said.

Lifting her head she said, "Yeah. I need to start working on this." Turning to Paula she added, "Paula I don't know what I'd do without you. Thank you so much."

Winking at Kate, Paula replied, "Well…perhaps 'Nikki Heat' can show up at a few more signings, help sell more books?"

Kate laughed for the first time in what felt like days but was only since yesterday afternoon when she stood up. "Thanks Paula, when this is over with, let's check our schedules."

Standing next to her Rick said, "Your schedule? What about me and my schedule?"

Before Kate could answer, Paula said, "Ricky, if I have Kate there, you'll be there too. I'm seeing a whole new way to get you to show up for these things now, and it's making me very happy."

With smiles on their faces, they left Paula and headed to the precinct, working off each other as when they build theory, to determine the best way for Ryan and Esposito to get Josh's contact information. It was the best Kate had felt in twenty-four hours.

.

.

"You want us to do what?"

Kate sighed, once again. "Esposito, I just need you and Ryan to find some information from a receptionist."

With a grin on his face Ryan asked, "And _who's_ receptionist is this again?"

Rick piped in, "Kate, they're going to have to know. You can't send them in blind like this and expect everything to work out fine."

Looking over at Rick she slowly nodded her head and said, "I'll let you tell them what we need. It's still hard for me to talk about it." She then got up from her chair and left the breakroom, closing the door behind her.

Suddenly serious, Esposito looked at Rick and said, "Ok Castle, what's this about?"

Rick started to explain and as he did their faces became more and more angry till Esposito blurted out, "I'm gonna kill him!"

"Which one?" Ryan asked.

"Motorcycle Boy." Esposito practically spat out the name. "I never liked that guy, all stuck up and self important." Mimicking a clown Esposito said, "Hey boys, catch any bad guys?"

Ryan said, "Oh yeah, I remember that. You just got the brace off and he walked in and blindsided all of us…what a pompous ass."

"Yeah, well, he's gonna be a dead pompous ass when I get through with him."

Rick stepped in before it got too heated, "Guys! It actually looks like he didn't really say any of this, but it was made up by the paper to get their reporters out of jail and the case dropped."

"The DA isn't going to allow that Castle. He's out for blood after what they did."

"That's why we need to get in touch with Motorcycle Boy and find out what he really said."

Putting his hand on Esposito's shoulder, Ryan asked, "Ok Castle, what do you need us to do?"

They all sat down as Rick went over his idea, Ryan and Esposito occasionally interjecting ideas or possible problems, till the three came up with a plan that they all liked. When they realized they had covered everything they could think of, Rick put out his hand. Esposito put his on top of Rick's and as Ryan was about to do the same, he turned to Ryan and said, "Don't spit this time!"

With a sheepish grin, Ryan put his hand on theirs and their pact was complete. Esposito and Ryan then got up and headed out the door and Rick followed, turning to go to Kate's desk, where he sat down on his chair.

Looking over at Kate, he was struck once again at how beautiful she looked, how strong and yet how fragile at the same time. He was constantly amazed that this woman, this extraordinary woman, actually loved him. Not his personae, not his fame, not his wealth, but simply loved him.

Lifting her head from her desk, Kate looked at Rick in his chair and saw the love in his eyes, telling her of his unconditional support. She hadn't had that in her life since her mother died, and it constantly surprised her to see it in him. She saw 'forever' in his eyes and knew that whatever happened in her life, he would always be her safe place to land.

Looking at her desk he asked, "What are you working on?"

"I found more holes in the story," she said with a smile. "I've been going over the cases we had since last summer, and quite a few of the times that Josh and I were supposed to be in that ridiculous 'love nest', we were actually working on a case, or he was away."

Rick smiled back at her and said, "Now all we need is the info from Ryan and Esposito and we should be able to close this case in no time!"

He put his hand out to her and she put her hand on his as she said, "Rick, we make one heck of a team, despite your uncanny resemblance to Hooch."

As Rick pretended to take exception to that, Kate snapped her fingers and said, "Hey! See if the guys can get a copy of his schedule for the last year. I bet there's a lot more holes in this story than we've already found."

Eyes widening, Rick replied, "Why didn't I think of that? His receptionist should have a record of everything he's done professionally!" He immediately took out his phone and called Esposito with the idea. Disconnecting the call Rick smiled at Kate, put up his two hands mimicking quotation marks and said, "He said, and I quote, 'Piece of cake Castle', unquote. I just hope they don't go overboard with this, Esposito was pretty angry and Ryan wasn't far behind."

Kate gave a grin and said, "They're professionals Rick. Sometimes their acting is atrocious, but that's only because we know them so well." She paused a moment and added, "They'll be fine."

"Well then, while we're waiting, can I interest you in something to eat?"

Kate looked at him for a few seconds and said, "You know? I think I have a bit of an appetite after all. I have to stay here in case they call, but I would appreciate something to eat."

Wagging his eyebrows Rick asked, "Anything in particular you want?"

Giving him a soft smile, that personal one he can never get enough of, Kate said, "Surprise me."

.

.

Two hours later the elevator door opened and Kate looked up to see two swaggering detectives walk out. Esposito could carry it off, but Ryan looked like his joints were soldered together, and Kate couldn't help but smile at them as they made their way to her desk.

Then she heard the little song they were singing. First Esposito sang, "Who deserves an Academy Award?" and Ryan pointed to him with both index fingers and said, "_You_ deserve an Academy Award!" Then Ryan sang the first part and Esposito sang the second, pointing to Ryan. They had huge grins on their faces when they got to her desk.

She looked up at them and said, "I take it you got everything we asked for?"

Esposito smiled and said, "Oh did we ever! Mr. Academy Award here pulled off the act of the century! I don't think we were in there more than five minutes before she would have given him anything he asked for…including the key to her apartment!"

Ryan started to blush as Rick laughed. He punched Esposito on the shoulder and said, "Jenny is never going to hear about this, got it!"

With a big grin Esposito said, "I got your back bro!" Then turning to Becket and Castle he said, "Ryan and I walked in there and all of a sudden Ryan was just full of charm. He actually gazed at her till she was nothing but a puddle! I swear it's true! Castle, you must have been giving him pointers, 'cause Barbara just swooned when he smiled."

Still blushing, Ryan said, "Dude, this is getting embarrassing!"

Kate interrupted them and asked, "So what did she give you?"

With a grin Esposito asked, "You mean besides her phone number? Everything."

"What? Really?" Kate exclaimed.

Ryan answered, "Oh yeah, really."

"All he had to do was bat his baby blues at her and she gave us everything we asked for. Want to know where Motorcycle Boy is? He's in Haiti, and there is no cell coverage where he is."

Kate's exuberance started to drop when he added, "But, the hospital he's working at has telephone service, and here's his number!"

As Kate reached out for it, he pulled his hand away. When she put her hand down he put the paper out again but each time she reached for it he pulled it away. "Nah uh, what do you say?"

Kate put her hand out, palm up and said, "What I say Esposito is if you don't give me that number right now you will never have children!"

As Esposito's eyes widened Ryan whispered, "Bro, I think she means it."

Esposito put the number in her hand and then asked, "Do you want to know his schedule for the past year?"

"Yes!"

Ryan took some folded papers out of his jacket pocket and said, "Here it is," he paused a moment and said, "You may want to check out February 14th."

Kate opened the papers and turned to the third page where February 14, Valentine's Day was, and read the notation.

"See anything interesting there Beckett?"

"What should I see? He had to work and…oh."

Rick leaned over and asked, "Oh what?

Kate answered, her voice angry, "That no good son of a…he had a date!"

"Date?"

"Yeah a date. Remember when I took you for that drink on Valentine's Day?"

A sad look came on his face as Rick said, "Yeah?"

"While we were talking he called to cancel our date because he had to work, remember?

"Yeah, and you didn't seem all that upset about it either."

"I wasn't. I was glad he canceled, 'cause I was having a better time with you, but he didn't cancel because he had to work, he canceled because he had a date…with someone named Peggy."

"Peggy? Who's Peggy?"

"There's no last name but he was on call so he had to put down the place…son of a…he took her where he was going to take me!"

Esposito looked at Ryan and said, "I knew he was no good the minute I saw him."

Ryan nodded his head in agreement and they performed a complicated ritual of bumping their hands together which ended with their index fingers pointing to their partner.

Rick watched them spellbound and asked, "Can you teach me how to do that?"

Esposito said, "I would bro…"

"But then we'd have to kill you…" Ryan added.

"And I don't think Beckett would like that," Esposito finished.

Rick's head moved back and forth as they spoke and he started to say, "Do you guys practice that when we're not around, because…"

He was interrupted by Kate saying, "He canceled four other dates with me to go out with Peggy? Who the hell is Peggy?"

Rick looked at her and said, "Ahh, Kate…"

"He told me he had to work or just got off a double shift and needed to sleep. I guess he needed to sleep with Peggy!"

"Uhh, Kate, you're not jealous, are you?"

"Huh? No, I'm not jealous. If I knew he had Peggy I would have dropped him a lot sooner than I did! How could I not have seen he was dating someone else the same time he was supposed to be dating me?"

"Are some of those dates with Peggy times that he was supposedly with you in the article?"

Kate stopped staring at the page in front of her with an angry glare and looked up at Rick. "I don't know, but let's find out."

As she and Rick started to go over the time frame in the article, Esposito turned to Ryan and said, "Let's get some lunch bro."

Without looking up Castle said, "There are two cold cut subs in the fridge with soda's for you. They're marked 'Montgomery' so no one would take them."

Smiling they thanked Rick and headed to the break room. The last thing Rick and Kate heard as they walked away was Esposito saying, "You better throw away her number before Jenny sees it."

"Already done partner, already done."

.

.

"I have to call him, there's no other option."

"We could have Steve call him, you know, as a lawyer he can lean on him."

"But Josh is in Haiti and Steve is here in New York, so how much leaning can he really do?" Kate thought for a moment longer and said, "I'll wait till early this evening in case he's busy with patients."

"I'm right here if you need me. You don't have to face this alone."

She smiled and Rick saw love in that smile. "I know Rick. It's hard to get used to at first, having someone there for you when you need them. But little by little I'm learning to accept that's part of being in a loving family."

Kate reached her hand out and took his, saying, "There is a large part of me that doesn't want you here, doesn't want you to see me have to talk to him, but the other part of me wants you with me always."

"It is our word after all."

"God you're so cheesy, I can't believe I fell in love with such as cheesy guy."

Leaning back in his chair Rick posed while straightening his shoulders, "The secret heart of your soul was crying out for a cheesy guy…I heard it years ago." At her look he added, "Really Kate, I'm surprised it didn't keep you up at night."

Kate gazed at him for a moment then said, "I'm torn between giving you a kiss and twisting your ear."

"Well, if you want _my_ opinion…"

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Rick, and pulling it from his jacket pocket, he saw the caller was Steve.

While Rick spoke to Steve and filled him in on what they'd found, Kate was thinking about how she would approach the subject with Josh. As Steve said earlier, the only quote from Josh was that they'd dated, nothing else was said by him but was inferred to him or others in the story. She didn't want to read any of it to him, she just needed to know that he never said these terrible things about her.

She was still thinking when Rick ended his call with Steve and tapped her hand with his finger. "Kate, what are you thinking of?"

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"The fact that you have your thinking face on, and before you ask I've been watching you for over three years, I know when you're thinking about something."

"Trying to figure out how to bring up this whole thing with Josh; honestly Rick, I never wanted to have to deal with him on a personal level again. This whole mess just makes me sick."

"Kate, I'm so sorry. If I had any idea that you would be dragged through the mud like this, I never would have opened my mouth and told you my feelings…OUCH! What did you pull my ear for?"

"Richard Edgar Castle, if you ever say anything like that again I will twist your ears till they come off! That was one of the most amazing days of my life! It led to us being engaged to be married. It proved to me how much you really care, how much you really love me, and gave me the freedom to do the same."

He stared at her, not knowing what to say as she held back tears when she held up her hand and said, "You might as well take back the ring if you're going to talk like that."

"God no. Kate I…"

"Then this discussion is over. This ring is a promise Rick, and just because a miserable excuse of a human being is trying to blackmail us with lies and innuendo doesn't mean we take back that promise. This promise is for good and bad, and as my partner I expect you to be by my side when we take this slime ball down!"

Rick smiled softly and said, "Partners."

Kate nodded her head then turned back to her desk saying, "Good, now let's figure out what I say to Josh."

"Uh, Kate, did you just call Pierce a 'slime ball'?"

Turning back to Rick she said, "Did I?"

"Communing with your inner Natalie Rhodes, were you?"

Kate just stared at him, stunned, unable to say a thing. Then shaking her head she turned back to her desk, attempting to think about what she will say to Josh. So quietly he almost didn't hear it, Rick heard her groan, then say, "Promise me you'll never tell her I said that."

Rick just smiled and tried to come up with ideas that didn't include invading Haiti.

.

.

"Dr. Joshua Davidson please." The connections was surprisingly good and Kate could hear the young girl's voice clearly when she asked, "And who should I say is calling?"

"Tell him it's Detective Kate Beckett, from the NYPD."

"Oh yes detective! He just finished with his last patient of the day, please wait a moment." Kate heard the clunk sound as the phone was put on a table or desk and heard the girl's voice as she called for Josh. A few minutes later she heard two sets of footsteps and the phone was picked up.

"Kate?' Josh asked.

"Hello Josh. Yes it's me."

"Is everything all right? Why are you calling me? I thought you were pretty clear the last time I saw you that we were over."

Kate's eyes turned to her left and she looked at Rick who's ear was pressed to the phone. He had a smug smile on his face.

Kate sighed and said, "Yes we are Josh, but something came up and you're involved. I felt it best that I was the one to call you."

"Something came up? What do you mean something came up that I'm involved with? I've been here for almost a month!"

"I understand that Josh, but before you left, did you speak to a man named Reginald Pierce?"

"Pierce? No, the name doesn't sound familiar."

Kate's heart sank. She wasn't sure what to say when Rick handed her a piece of paper that he wrote, 'ask him if he spoke to anyone from the press about you.'

When she asked Josh that question he said, "Yeah, some guy came up and asked me if we ever dated. When I asked who he was and why he wanted to know he said it was for a story about the NYPD and you were one of the police they chose."

"What did you tell them?"

"I was literally on my way to the airport when he asked and I told him that we dated. He didn't get a chance to ask me anything else since my cab was waiting. Oh, and he had some girl with a camera who took my photo."

"That was it? Did you sign any documents?"

"No, I had to get into the cab and rush to the airport…Kate, what's this all about?"

Kate proceeded to tell him there was a problem with a paper that used Josh as a source, and claimed to have a written statement from him. As she and Josh spoke Rick handed her another piece of paper that read, 'do NOT ask him about Peggy!'

She turned to look at him and wondered how he knew that's what she was going to ask him next. He glared at her and she nodded her head yes when Rick handed her another saying, 'ask if he will sign a statement that he never spoke to Pierce other than what he said.'

Kate did so and Josh quickly agreed to make up a document. "We have a lawyer here with us and I'll make sure it's all legal and have it faxed to you."

He was being so helpful that Kate couldn't help but think Josh would interpret this as a chance for them to get together again, so she purposely said, "Thank you Josh. Rick and I appreciate this very much."

Rick pulled back from her phone and shook his head no while she was speaking, and when she finished put his head back in time to hear Josh say, "Any time Kate. He's a very lucky guy."

With a smirk at Castle she gave Josh the fax number for Steve's office and thanked him once again, telling him to ignore the messages on his cell phone from her when he finally got coverage.

After a few more words, she hung up her phone and turned to Rick with a smile. "I hope he gets that done soon so we can stop Pierce from printing anything."

Rick smiled back at her and said, "He thinks I'm a lucky guy, huh?"

Kate stared at him a moment while he smiled at her with an almost child like glee, then shook her head and got up for a cup of coffee, leaving Castle sitting in his chair. As she entered the break room, Ryan entered close behind her. When she turned to look at him he smiled and said, "I guess you were able to contact Motorcycle Boy, huh?"

Giving up on ever getting any of them to call him Josh or even Dr. Davidson, Kate just sighed and nodded her head yes.

"And I guess from Castle's comment that he said something about how lucky he is to be with you, am I right?"

Carefully watching the coffee machine so it didn't explode on her again, Kate only said, "Yes."

After pouring her cup, she turned to Ryan and asked, "We're engaged for crying out loud, why did he pick up on that and why did it make him so happy?"

Ryan looked at her with a serious expression and said, "Kate, since he came here on that first case everyone knew how good he was for you, and you both just got closer and better as time went on." He paused a moment then continued, "I don't think you'll ever know how much it hurt Castle to see you pick Motorcycle Boy over him. And it didn't help when everyone could see that you and Castle are perfect for each other and you and Motorcycle Boy were oil and water."

Kate was going to say something but he continued, saying, "Hell Kate, when Jenny and I bumped into you and him last year, remember how you invited us over?"

As Kate nodded yes, Ryan said, "Well your boyfriend wasn't happy with that at all, he gave me such a dirty look and pretty much told us with his eyes and body language to go away, but he smiled and said yes when you turned to him."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he did. Jenny felt very uncomfortable and even you knew something wasn't right. Notice how much more fun we had when he got called in and had to leave?"

Remembering the night Kate slowly nodded yes as Ryan said, "Well, I just wanted to say I guess Castle feels proud that you chose him over Motorcycle Boy."

Kate looked at him with a puzzled frown and said, "But Kevin, I always knew Josh wasn't long term, I always kept one foot out the door."

"Well Castle didn't know that, and neither did anyone else, especially Motorcycle Boy, if the way he acted after we got you out of the freezer is any indication." As Kate shook her head trying to understand what was Ryan was getting at, he finished with, "Remember the look on your face when Castle walked out with his ex-wife that summer?" At her nod he said, "That's the look on his face every time you brought up Motorcycle Boy, when you told us how great he was because he saved lives, when he called and you always answered right away; and when you left work bragging you were going to be with him. Hell Kate, Castle saved you, us, and the city from that bomb, and you stood there and let him walk away while holding onto Motorcycle Boy."

She quietly said, "I know."

"Well the look on your face when he left with his ex is the look on his face every time you were with Demming and Motorcycle Boy…I'm just saying, he has a right to feel proud that your ex says he's a lucky guy."

With that Kevin turned away and headed back to his desk while Kate looked out at Rick still sitting in his chair. He still had that goofy grin on his face and all Kate could think of was spending the rest of her life making it up to him.

He was speaking animatedly on the phone as she slowly walked back to her desk. When she arrived and sat down, Rick finished his call and said, "Steve will make sure someone stays all night if necessary to get that fax."

Kate looked at him and smiled. She reached out her hand and he put his in hers. Squeezing his hand she said, "Yes he did say you're a lucky guy. But what he doesn't know is how lucky we both are."

At his questioning look she said, "Rick, he thought he knew me, but he didn't know anything. He thought we could be close but he never knew that I was already closer to you than he would ever get. You had more of me than he ever had, and that was before you told me how much you care."

His eyes glowed as she said, "You were always the one Rick, and it just took that burst of honesty for me to stop fighting myself."

She leaned in close and whispered, "I have loved you for years Rick, and I will love you forever."

As he gazed into her eyes, he saw everything he ever wanted to see there, shining back at him. He chuckled and softly said, "And here I was thinking I was the writer."

He stood up, and still holding her hand said, "Let's go home and rest. I think tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

Picking up her purse, she waved good night to Ryan and Esposito and headed to the elevator with Rick, and as they got to the door, she rested her head on his shoulder and said, "I feel like I've been run ragged and can sleep for a week."

Entering the elevator, they both leaned into the back wall and Rick replied, "You didn't sleep much last night, a light meal and then we'll get you to bed."

Kate smiled back at him and said, "Any other time and I'd run with that comment Rick, but right now, a soft bed and pillow sound like heaven."

As the elevator door closed, she put her hand in his and sighed, wondering how many more days like this they'd have till this nightmare was over.

A little after 10pm and Rick was contemplating going to bed soon. Kate had gone to bed within half an hour of their entering the loft, and she was still sound asleep when his cell phone rang.

Rick answered immediately after seeing the caller was Steve. "Hi Steve, did we get it?"

"Yes we did Rick. That lawyer down there with him is really good. Not only did he state he didn't speak to anyone who represented themselves as being with New York Secrets, he also clearly states that the only thing he did say was that he and Kate dated. Also that at no time did they ever live together, and furthermore, that Dr. Davidson categorically denies the innuendo and lies stated by New York Secrets."

"Steve, tell me you didn't send them the story."

"No Rick, but I did get a chance to speak to the lawyer, a young grad fresh out of law school, and he understood just from the gist of our conversation what was going on. And Davidson signed it, in front of the head of his Doctors Without Borders team, his lawyer and the local magistrate who happens to be the director of the hospital that Davidson is working at."

Steve paused a moment, almost as he would in a court of law and added, "In other words Rick, we have everything we need to kill this story."

Rick let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you Steve. I'll tell Kate first thing in the morning, she was exhausted mentally and physically from this, and she's been asleep for over three hours now."

"Good. Let her sleep. Tomorrow we'll meet here in my office again, perhaps the same time as this morning."

"That sounds good Steve. I know Kate is hoping to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Looks like that's just what will happen, Rick. Oh, and have Paula there again too. We want all the firepower we can get when we face Pierce and his lawyers."

"We'll all be there Steve; I'll call Paula right now."

"Fine, in that case, good night, Rick."

"Until tomorrow, Steve," Rick said and disconnected the call. He then called Paula to be sure she would be at Steve's office with them and headed to bed. They would all need a good night's rest to plan an end to this attack on Kate.

.

.

At 6am the following morning, Kate and Rick along with Paula and Steve were once again sitting in Steve's office. His secretary had come in and she'd made arrangements for coffee and pastries to be available.

Kate was quietly sipping her coffee, actually fixed just the way she liked it, and Rick made himself a promise to give Steve's secretary a round trip ticket to anywhere as a thank you gift.

He was thinking about that when Paula interrupted his thoughts by saying, "Oh my God Rick! No one should be up at this time of day!" Turning to Kate she said, "For nobody else but you Kate. Not even Writer boy over there."

Kate gave a slight smile when Rick said in an injured tone, "Hey! When did I become Writer boy to you?

Steve watched the interplay between the three and marveled once again how Rick could take people from differing backgrounds, with personalities that should conflict and manage to incorporate them into his own menagerie of friends. He included himself in that as he considered the differences between yesterday morning and today. Oh yes, Reginald Pierce was going to be very surprised, and not at all happy at the new developments.

They spent the next hour going over their plan of attack. Everything was set when Kate once again suggested she be the one to talk to Pierce.

Rick interrupted her, saying, "Kate, when we go to a crime scene, who's first?"

She looked back at Rick and said, "Me."

"And why is that?"

"Because I have the training, and the gun."

"Exactly, and now I'm the one with the training. This is where my experience comes in; this is where I protect you."

She watched his warm eyes, and they suddenly turned colder than ice when he said, "This is where _I_ protect you from the scum out there," then pointing to Paula and Steve, he said, "and here are _my_ guns."

Kate blinked and when she looked again his eyes were even colder than before, "Believe me Kate, your Glock is good, but here in this room I have World War Three ready to shoot at Pierce." His voice lowering to barely a whisper, Rick leaned into Kate and with his voice shaking with emotion, said, "No one hurts my family Kate. No one."

Rick turned to speak with Steve but Kate wasn't really listening to him. She kept seeing his eyes and hearing the emotion in his voice, and couldn't help but compare that to the frivolous Rick Castle who started following her around three years ago. This protective Rick was there, he was always there, he was just hidden from sight.

Suddenly she relived a moment from one of their first cases together; when Rick pretended that he didn't know how to shoot a gun and then put three perfect shots into the heart of the target. As she came back to the present she couldn't help but think that quite possibly, there was more to the Castle onion than she ever suspected.

Rick turned from Steve and looked at Paula, who had the same intense look on her face. "You're ready with the press release in case he get's a case of the stupids?"

Kate noticed that Paula's eyes were cold as well. "Oh yeah Rick, I hope he doesn't, but if he does, we'll destroy him."

Rick nodded his head, "Ok then. Set it up the way Steve suggested, meanwhile Kate and I have to head to work." Rick stood up and Kate, realizing the meeting was over, stood up with him.

Paula stood up beside her, put her hand on Kate's arm and said, "Don't worry Kate. You and Rick can do this, and we have your back if you need us."

Kate couldn't speak, she felt so much emotion filling her that her throat constricted. She never would have imagined that Paula Haas would turn out to be not only a friend, but a good friend. Still unable to speak, she simply nodded her head then gave Paula a quick hug before turning to Rick and leaving Steve's office.

Paula watched them walk out the door then turned to Steve saying, "When I first saw her I didn't think much of her, but now? I've never known two people who fit together so well. They're perfect for each other."

Steve nodded in agreement and then said, "Lets go over the press release. If you have to use it I want to make sure it's lawsuit proof." Paula agreed and soon the two were going over it word by word.

.

.

The day went slowly. Captain Montgomery, having been appraised of what was happening, gave Kate time, and kept her from any new cases, even going so far as to leave her team free in case of need. And so the morning slowly passed, and it wasn't until 1pm that Steve called saying he was picking them up for a meeting with Pierce and his lawyer.

Rick and Kate were waiting outside the precinct when Steve's limo pulled up. As she and Rick got into the car, she noticed it was not from P.Y.P and whispered to Rick, asking him if it was safe to talk.

Nodding his head he whispered back, "Yes. Tommy is Steve's private driver, ex-special forces. He knows how to keep a secret."

Kate gave Rick a slight smile and then looked to Steve who was sitting across from them. "We have a meeting at 2pm. I don't think it will last more than a half hour. I have a copy of Dr. Davidson's statement as well as a copy of the recorded conversation with Pierce's lawyer."

Rick said, "I hear he's a pretty sharp lawyer. He's won most of the cases against the paper."

Steve sniffed in contempt and replied, "If you recall he didn't win against us five years ago. Saunders has spent his career working for Pierce, and mostly what he does is intimidate the people who have a grievance against Pierce. But as a lawyer? As a lawyer Rick I wouldn't hire Saunders to empty my waste baskets."

He looked at Kate and said, "If Pierce doesn't give up and or delete every copy of that story, Paula is prepared to pass on our statement to her friends in the press." Leaning forward he added, "You should know Kate, by allowing Paula to give special treatment to some papers and television shows for your engagement announcement, there is a lot of good will for her _and_ for you and Rick. She is ready to contact those people the minute we know what Pierce decides."

Kate gave him a slight smile and said, "I just want this to be over. I never experienced anything this slimy before in my life and I hope that I never do again."

Rick took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll end it love. We're a team, and instead of good cop, bad cop, today we're angry cop and angrier fiancé." As Kate turned her eyes to his he said, "Think snowball Kate. A snowball's chances in a very hot place."

The smile he gave reminded her of a lion or other large predator, and Kate was beginning to actually feel a bit sorry for Pierce.

Deciding to take her mind off the problems at hand, Steve started to tell Kate all about how excited Rick was when he met her. By the time they got to the offices of New York Secrets, Kate was laughing at Steve's interpretation of Rick and his crush on a certain New York detective.

The smiles on their faces didn't go un-noticed by the security cameras set up outside the paper. Reginald Pierce was sitting in his office looking at the scene when all three exited the limo. He turned to his lawyer and snarled, "Why the hell are they smiling? I thought they were coming here to surrender and beg me not to print the story!"

Saunders shrugged his shoulders and said, "So did I, we'll find out in a few minutes."

"Make 'em wait for about fifteen minutes. You go meet them, but I'll stay out for another fifteen minutes to show 'em who's in charge."

Saunders raised his eyebrows in question and Pierce said, "Everybody waits on me, I can make 'em or break 'em and they know it."

Saunders shrugged his shoulders again and said, "Very well. But remember to use your upper crust accent when you meet them."

Pierce didn't say a word, he just watched the screen as the three entered his building.

Ten minutes later, Rick, Kate and Steve met with Saunders in conference room A. He offered them coffee and pastries but they declined. He tried some polite conversation while waiting for Pierce to enter, but that fell flat and soon all four were simply sitting waiting for him to arrive.

Exactly fifteen minutes later Pierce entered, oozing upper crust British charm and apologizing for making them wait. Kate could hardly stand to touch his hand when he greeted them, and felt herself falling into detective mode as he sat down. She watched him and noted things he did and the way he acted. Everything he did she saw and analyzed. He was just like any other guilty suspect they had dead to rights, and they only needed to break him; and Kate knew they would break him. He didn't seem as powerful or fearful in person as he did hiding over the phone.

Steve opened his briefcase and took out several papers. He held the first one up and said, "This is a transcript of the telephone conversation between Saunders and myself. You will note on the second page where I highlighted the text. That is where Saunders inferred that the story will not be printed if charges are dropped against your reporter and photographer."

Pierce dropped his suave demeanor and sat up in his chair, "What?" He grabbed the paper out of Saunders hand and read the highlighted text.

Saunders meanwhile said, "Without a warrant to wiretap, it's illegal to record conversations without informing the person being recorded."

Steve smiled and handed him another copy of the transcript, "Please note what it says on the top of the page. A recorded message states that all conversations are recorded to protect the client…"

Saunders interrupted saying, "I never heard that message."

Steve smiled and answered, "Unfortunately you were talking to Mr. Pierce when the recording came on."

"But…"

"To your benefit you were telling him that this was a bad idea, and you were correct, it was a very bad idea."

"So what?" Pierce said, "I still have the story and the statement from your doctor." He said that last part leering at Kate.

Kate smiled coldly at him while Steve replied, "That's what this other paper is. Dr. Davidson refutes your version of the story."

"That's impossible! He's in Haiti with Doctors Without Borders and won't be back for almost a month!"

Rick softly said, "I guess you hoped for that, didn't you?"

Steve quickly interjected saying, "True, he is. But the hospital he's volunteering at not only has a working telephone, but also a fax machine and they have an excellent lawyer down there with them." Holding up the paper he looked at it and said, "This statement is about as perfect as you can get…and just as air tight." He handed it to Saunders.

Kate watched Saunders as he read the statement from Josh and knew when he gave up. His shoulders sagged just a bit, and Kate knew they'd won the legal round. Now they had to break Pierce.

She watched as Saunders handed Josh's statement to Pierce and then leaned in to whisper in his ear. Pierce shook his head no but Saunders kept whispering and soon Kate knew they'd won. Pierce was angry, but he could not fight truth with lies. In disgust, he handed the statement back to Saunders and sat back in his chair.

"What do you want?" Saunders asked.

Steve said, "We want every copy of that story destroyed. If it's printed, we want the printed copy, if it's electronic we want it deleted and then a program used, that I happen to have a disk for, that will ensure it can never be retrieved from the hard drive."

Turning from Saunders he said, "Mr. Pierce, we will also require a signed, notarized statement from you that every copy of this story, electronic and printed, has been deleted or shredded. Because I guarantee you, if any of this garbage ever see's print, ever shows up anywhere, we will come after you to the fullest extent of the law."

Pierce gave a small smile till Steve added, "Mr. Castle has many friends, Mr. Pierce, some of whom operate outside of the law. We would truly hate to see that one or more of those friends took exception to this pack of lies and innuendo and decided to do something personal about it."

Pierce's smile dropped and he snarled, "Are you threatening me?"

Steve smiled coldly, his face like granite. "You know better than that and so does your lawyer. You claim to be English, so I suggest you read up on Henry the Second and Thomas Becket." He gave a mock sigh and added, "A tragedy of course, but then you're more used to creating them than being in one."

Looking at his watch and standing up Steve said, "We have other, more important things to attend to today Pierce. What's your answer, yes or no?"

Pierce looked at Saunders who shook his head in defeat. Pierce knew without Saunders being able to defend him, and with Castle prepared to fight this in public opinion, New York Secrets would lose. He looked up at Steve, glaring at him and said, "Yes." Then turning to Saunders said, "Do what he asks."

Steve gathered up his things and left the room with Saunders, leaving Pierce alone with Rick and Kate.

Kate looked him in the eye and said, "I almost feel sorry for you. Almost, but I don't. You're not to be feared, you should be pitied. You came up from nothing, earned an education, created a newspaper. You're intelligent, well spoken and yet you squandered all that you have, all that you are, to become a pathetic caricature of what you could have been."

Leaning forward till she was only inches from his face she said, "When you die no one will mourn. No one will miss you or care. Because I promise you this, years from now no one will ever know the name Reginald Pierce. No one will remember who or what you were, but millions of people will still be reading, enjoying, and loving Richard Castle. He will still be substance while you…you'll be less than a shadow, less than a wisp of smoke. You'll be then what you are now, nothing; and that's what's pitiful about you Mr. Pierce. You spent all this time and effort to make yourself into nothing."

Pierce's face was white and he was shaking in anger. His lips compressed to a single, solid line across his face. His eyes filled with hatred as Kate leaned back in her seat.

Rick now spoke, "I wanted to hurt you. To physically cause you pain. But this is so much better." Showing Josh's statement in his hand he continued, "This statement from Dr. Davidson, this signed and notarized statement, is enough to put you in jail for extortion, for trying to blackmail us, but the only way we can use this is if you print your story. So it's a karmic payback…if you print those lies then you are destroying yourself. The moment you print them is the moment you throw away everything you have, all you own, because you can't take it with you to jail."

"And believe me," Kate added, "You _will_ be going to jail if it's printed."

Kate pulled back and looking at Rick, slowly stood up from her chair. Rick did the same and they both walked out the door, leaving a humiliated and seething Reginald Pierce behind them.

They weren't worried, they knew this was over. There will be other attempts to write stories about them, but together, they beat this one. Together they stood firm and turned the tables. Kate thought again about how great they were together. Separately they were good, very good, but together? Together it seemed they were able to surmount any problem or obstacle put in their way. Great seemed to be so inadequate a word to describe what they were together.

Kate put her hand in Rick's and squeezed. She felt a lump in her throat as she thought about the man by her side. He is her best friend. He is her lover. He is her true soul mate, but more importantly, he is her partner. Walking side by side, neither one the leader, neither one the follower, simply partners.

But partners in even more ways than she ever thought possible.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: Sorry this was so long. As those of you who have been with me since the beginning know, I truly hate cliff hangers, and honestly I didn't know where to cut this in two that would not create a cliff hanger. Soooo, you get a long chapter. Chapter 21 doesn't feel like it will be as long, I'd cross my fingers but do you have any idea how hard it is to touch type with fingers crossed?**

**My thanks to all who have taken the time to review or send PM's my way. I truly appreciate the comments and thoughts you express and am constantly amazed that you actually like my story. So very many of you have marked this as a favorite story, and added this for story alert. Not to mention all the favorite author and author alerts. It can either swell your head or make you humble. Thankfully my head still fits through my doors. ;-) **


	21. Chapter 21, Safe in the arms of Love

Is Forever Possible

Chapter 21, Safe in the arms of love

by RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: Despite my voting so many times my right index finger is shorter than my left, I still don't own Castle or anything about the show and the characters other than my DVD's and my joy that Nathan and the show won the Peoples Choice Awards last night!

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"Lanie, hand me that blouse, will you?"

"Tell me again why you still have stuff here?"

Kate looked up from her packing and said, "Because it's my apartment. Remember? Lease? Bills? Food? Closet? Dresser?"

"Oh, and there's none of that at Castle's? I thought…" and here Lanie put up both her hands making the sign of quotation marks, "that 'The Loft' had all those things too. And a lot bigger than here."

"Lanie, the blouse?"

Giving her a calculated look, Lanie said, "And what's this for again? Tell me Kate, I forgot."

"Lanie!"

"Oh right! Family vacation. A vacation with your…" and once again her hands came up making the quotation marks, 'family'.

Putting down the shorts she was going to pack, Kate turned to Lanie and said, "How long are you going to do this?"

"Till you get your head on straight! Girl that man has asked you to move in with him how many times?" Lanie put her hand up and added, "No, don't bother to answer, we both know it's a few times a week."

"Your point being?"

Lanie looked at her dumbfounded, "Kate! You're going on a 'family vacation' with the Castles, big and little. A 'family' vacation Kate. That means you are part of the 'family', doesn't it?"

"If you don't stop making quotation marks with your hands I'm going to find a good use for my handcuffs."

"Katherine Beckett, what's that thing on your finger? Your engagement ring, isn't it?"

"Yes Lanie."

"Engagement usually means you're going to marry the guy someday. Do you still plan to keep your apartment then?"

"No, of course not."

"And how much of your stuff is already at the loft?"

"Oh that's right! I'll need my sandals."

"Kate!"

"What?"

"Your sandals are at the loft?"

"Yeah."

"Look at your closet. More than half your stuff is already there. The drawers in your dresser are only half full, and how many empty spaces are there on your shoe rack?"

"I am not going to move into the loft."

Lanie sighed with exasperation, "Why not? You're practically living with them now!"

Kate sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed, "You'll think it's stupid."

Suddenly concerned, Lanie sat next to Kate, putting her arm around her friend she asked, "What is it?"

"You have to promise to never tell anyone. Anyone!"

"Is this something good or bad?"

"Anyone, Lanie! You have to promise me."

"If this is something that can hurt you, then no, I won't promise."

Kate looked at Lanie in surprise? "What? Hurt? Lanie, this is as far from being hurt as you can get."

Lanie looked closely at Kate then smiled back. "Ok, I promise."

Kate looked deeply into Lanie's eyes, just to make sure, when Lanie blurted out. "I said I promise…now spill!"

Kate smiled, almost shyly, and lowered her head. Speaking so softly that Lanie almost had to struggle to hear her, she said, "I read a story when I was little. It was about a prince and a princess and how he carried her over the threshold into his castle on their wedding day."

"Aaaaaand?"

Kate lifted her head and looked at her half filled closet. "I told my mom how much I liked the story and then she got out her wedding album. She showed me the photos of her and my dad and it looked like a fairytale wedding to me."

"It did?"

"Still does." She turned to Lanie and said, "I saved those albums from my dad when he was drinking and kept them safe. I never looked at them again after she died," she paused and looked at the photo of herself and Rick on her dresser. "Not until after Rick and I were engaged."

Lanie watched as Kate stared at the photo taken almost two years before and waited for her to continue. After a minute she said, "After we were engaged the very first thing of mine I brought to the loft was that wedding album. It seemed so important to me that it was there."

Lanie put her hand on Kate's and they sat in silence for a few minutes till Kate sighed and added, "What made my mom's wedding day so magical to her was when the reception was over and they drove back to Dad's apartment, he carried her over the threshold and that was when she moved in."

Turning to face Lanie she said, "That's why I won't move in with him, not till we're married. You know, he told me he's always dreamed of carrying his bride over their threshold, and he never did with Meredith or Gina."

"No?"

Her eyes got softer as she added, "But he wants to do that with me." Looking again at the photo she said, "When I first met him I would never have believed it, but he's an incurable romantic."

"Yeah, well we all know that." At Kate's questioning look she said, "Come on Kate, we saw that cup of coffee every time he showed up. We saw the looks he gave you, even if you didn't, and how many times have you had to buy your own lunch in the last three years?"

"Ok. So you know he's an incurable romantic…what you don't know is I used to be one too." Lanie had a hard time not responding to that. Most everyone thought Kate was all business, not romance. But Lanie'd stayed out with her after Will left, as she tried to forget him with lots of vodka. She sat and listened, as Kate complained he never did little things for her, hardly ever opened doors and never held a chair. How he thought she was so strong that she never needed anyone. Never just held her and made her feel safe. Warm. Loved.

Lanie never forgot as Kate wondered what was wrong with her, why she was alone. "All of the good ones are taken," she'd said, then looking at Lanie with teary and bleary eyes asked, "Where have all the princes gone?"

So Lanie never said a thing as Kate smilingly said, "He's telling everyone he's lifting weights so he won't drop me on our wedding day, and of course I usually punch his arm when he does."

Lanie chuckled along with Kate, pulled back a bit and looked her up and down, "He needs to lift weights? Girl I still think you're too skinny. What does he need to lift weights for?"

Kate gave a soft smile and said, "He doesn't Lanie. You have no idea how often he's picked me up and carried me to bed after I've fallen asleep on the couch." There was another moment of silence as Kate was lost in thought, her eyes misty and a soft smile on her face.

Lanie watched her friend, so happy for her that she could just squeal in delight. She let the moment last a little longer then said with a straight face, "My God you're worse than Ryan and Jenny! We're all going to need acne medicine being around you two, aren't we?"

"Lanie!" Kate slapped her friend across the arm and laughed. Standing up to continue packing Kate looked back and said, "You better get the extra large economy size."

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With her bag partially packed, the other clothes being at Rick's loft, Kate and Lanie were now driving to Rick's so she could finish packing. Lanie refused to leave till she made sure Kate packed the proper clothes for a vacation with the Castles.

"So where are you going again?"

"Florida. And why do you keep asking me questions you've already asked?"

"Just making sure girl. You haven't been on a real vacation in a long time, and after the month from hell we've all had, you really deserve it."

"Mmm hmmm, well it hasn't changed since the last time you asked. We're still going to Florida."

"Isn't October hurricane weather?"

"Yeah, but not for the coming week."

"You're sure?"

"Lanie, I swear that man knows a 'guy' everywhere! The National Hurricane Center? He's knows a guy there."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. It's like he has a private line down to it. And there aren't any storms on the horizon."

"And it's just, big and little Castle?"

"Yep."

"Doesn't she have school?"

Kate smiled and shook her head. "She talked to me about it and decided since this was her senior year she'd do something for her dad. She decided to, as she called it, 'play hooky.' When Alexis told him his eyes almost popped out of his head."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. He's so proud of her, he can't stop hugging her every time he see's her."

"She's playing hooky? Really? Alexis?"

Kate chuckled and said, "Don't let Rick know, but she made arrangements with her teachers and friends. She'll bring her laptop and her friends will upload their notes from class and the teachers will send her the assignments." Kate smiled softly and said, "She's going to do this at night and evenings, and it's my job to keep her father occupied with adult things so she has time for school."

"Adult things? Kate, Alexis really talked to you about…"

"NO! Lanie, she wants me to have him take me out dancing or to a club or two during our stay. Maybe a moonlit walk, just time to allow her to do her schoolwork."

"So she's not really playing hooky."

With a soft smile Kate said, "Not really, but her dad so has his heart set on her doing something like that, she couldn't say no." She sighed and said, "The adult in the teenage body came out for that, but I fully intend to do some 'girly' things with her to bring out her inner teenager."

Lanie looked at her friend briefly then said, "Look at you acting all mama bear."

Kate realized she did feel all mama bear for Alexis. She wanted Alexis to have fun, not be so serious all the time. Now was a time in her life that she'll never have again, and she should make time to enjoy it. It wasn't until later that day she realized what she wanted for Alexis was what Rick has been doing for her all these years.

Lanie already knew. She sat back in the uncomfortable seat and looked at her friend. Ever since Castle came on the scene Kate has been changing. Changing into someone softer, more fun. Someone, Lanie guessed, who she used to be, and Lanie for one was thrilled to see it.

"How's she doing now, you know, after that bust up she had?"

Kate sighed and said, "She acted like she took it well, she was the one to break things off with Ashley, and of course it had to happen in the month from hell with all the murders that took place."

"Poor kid. She's lucky to have you in her life."

Shaking her head Kate replied, "No Lanie, I'm the lucky one. After we had a talk she hugged me so tight and just held on to me for the longest time." She chuckled and added, "For the first time since the breakup I wanted to do something bad to Ashley, just to let him know he messed with the wrong girl."

Kate turned to Lanie and said, "I am so proud of that girl. She didn't give in when Ashley pushed."

"Pushed?"

"Yeah, he told her that since he was going all the way across the country and wouldn't see her for months, they should have sex so he'd have something to remember her by."

"Why the no good little…good for her! She told him no?"

"She gave him a photo of the two of them instead. He wasn't too pleased and I think he found a willing bed partner in Stanford. At least that's what Alexis thinks, since during the two weeks before the breakup when they talked on Skype, he never showed his face. He claimed the camera was broken, but Alexis saw part of the room at the edge of the screen, and it looked like he put something up to block the camera."

"What does Castle say about this?"

"Nothing. He doesn't know and he won't hear it from me.

Kate saw the traffic in front of them start to move and she slowly hit the accelerator, but unfortunately, she had to stop the car after a few feet. "You'd think traffic would ease up after they got the street repairs finished, wouldn't you?"

'Yeah, you'd think, but this is New York," Lanie said. "So little Castle is ok? 'Cause you know Javi and I are going to Arizona for our ten days off. It's not too far to California from Sedona, and we can easily pay a visit to Ashley."

Kate smiled and shook her head, "Thanks Lanie, Kevin already offered, he and Jenny are going to California to visit wineries. I think the whole team is leaving the city just to make sure we don't get called back in."

"I don't know about the rest of you, but that's exactly what Javi said we're going to do."

The traffic started to ease up and they soon passed a corner where the streetlight was out and a police officer was directing traffic. As they drove past the officer Kate said, "You know, my dad always says if you really want to mess up traffic, get a cop to direct it."

Lanie giggled, "He says that to you?"

"All the time. Of course he said it long before I joined the force, it just makes him chuckle more to say it now that I'm a cop."

Still giggling, Lanie said, "Your dad's all right."

With a soft smile Kate replied, "Yeah, he is."

Within twenty minutes, they were in the loft, in the master bedroom and Lanie was helping Kate pack the final few things she'd need for Florida.

She saw some brochures on dresser and picked them up. "So you're going to Miami?"

Looking up from her bag Kate said, "Huh? Oh no, we're not going there."

"What's with the brochure then?"

"Rick stopped at several travel agencies and took every brochure they had on Florida."

"How much traveling does he expect you to be doing down there?" Lanie asked as she went through another pile of brochures.

"Alexis and I laid down the law and told him that we were going to one place and one place only, so he better pick a good one."

Laughing, Lanie kept pouring through the brochures till she came to one that had Castle's writing on it. "Legoland?"

Kate turned around from her suitcase and said, "He still has that in there?" She then reached over and took it from Lanie's hand, reading his words.

"Kate? Legoland?"

Kate sighed and handed the brochure back to Lanie, saying, "You have no idea how excited he was when he saw this." As Lanie opened it up to look inside Kate added, "As you can see they've created cities, towns, all sorts of things and Rick wondered if they allowed the tourists to make their own."

Lanie looked up from the inside of the brochure where Castle had drawn sad faces and asked, "He really was going to take you to Legoland for your vacation? Kate, you have to be kidding me!"

"I wish I was Lanie. He tried to get Alexis to go but she wants something more in line for an eighteen year old, and then he tried to get me on board since it's in the area where Cypress Gardens used to be, and he knows my grandparents used to go there."

"So did mine."

"When Cypress Gardens closed in '09, they built Legoland, and kept part of the gardens there. It's supposed to be this big theme park and he thought it would be a 'cool' place to visit."

Lanie rolled her eyes as Kate continued, "Thankfully Alexis was able to remind him that she loved playing with Legos when she was eight, not eighteen, so that thought got canceled pretty quick."

"Mmm, hmm, I see the sad faces all over it."

"That's not as bad as his wanting to go to Orlando."

"Orlando? I was there as a kid."

"Well if you think you've seen Rick Castle as a kid, you haven't. He read the Universal Studio brochures and he went wild."

"Wild?"

"It took Alexis and me over an hour to get him out of the idea and even then we had to threaten not to go with him."

"But why? Orlando has some pretty nice adult places to go; it's not all for kids you know."

Kate shook her head as she remembered the conversation. _"But Kate, there's Dinosaurs there! Dinosaurs Kate! Dinosaurs!"_

"_Rick."_

"_Alexis, remember when we first saw Jurassic Park? Well it's not as cool as that, but they have Dinosaurs! And a neat Dinosaur ride!"_

"_Dad, what have I ever said to make you think that being chased by hungry Raptors would be a fun vacation for me?"_

Smiling, Kate said, "You had to have been there, but just know that there are Dinosaurs in Orlando."

Lanie laughed and then asked, "So where did you decide to go?"

"The beach."

"The beach? What beach? The whole state is a giant beach!"

"Not sure, it's a surprise. We thought of going to Captiva, it's on the Gulf side and the water is milder there, and I hear there are lots and lots of shells you can pick up."

"Yeah…"

"But Alexis said all the cute boys would be on the Atlantic side or in the Keys, since there could be some surfing."

"Cute boys? She's already looking at cute boys?"

"Yeah, Ashley really messed with her and Alexis isn't opposed to the idea of dating, and last time we went for coffee she did a lot of boy watching."

Lanie cocked her head to the side and looked at Kate, "That's not all Kate. Come on, spill!"

Sighing Kate said, "Ok, well Alexis looked at the cute boys and I kept an eye on the boys watching Alexis."

Lanie grinned and said, "Hoo boy, I thought Castle was bad, scaring her boyfriend with that gun, but with the two of you? I doubt she'll be married before she turns forty!"

Kate turned to her and said, "Lanie! Believe me, Rick is more than enough as the worried parent. I'm the buffer between her and Rick."

Before Lanie could say anything else they heard a commotion from the front door and shortly after Rick came into the bedroom, walked up to Kate and gave her a kiss. His arm still around Kate's shoulder, he turned and said with a grin, "Hi Lanie. Did you make sure she packed something sexy?"

Before Lanie said a word, she discovered that Castle was extremely ticklish, and even getting a sharp poke could reduce him to laughter. Watching as Kate kept poking Castle, and he kept pulling away and laughing, all Lanie could think of was how perfect the two of them were for each other, and was so very happy for both her friends that they finally got their heads out of their butts and realized how right each was for the other.

As Castle finally gave up and gave Kate a hug, Lanie thought of something she could do for her friends, and made a mental note to talk to Esposito, Ryan and Martha about it. Maybe little Castle too, even though she isn't so little any more.

Watching as Kate gave Castle a kiss, Lanie thought, 'Hmmm, maybe there'll be another little Castle coming along.'

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9:30 the next morning found Rick, Kate and Alexis down in the parking garage putting their bags into the back of a PYP limousine. "Mr. Castle, Miss Beckett, I will put the bags away, please get into the car."

"Sorry Dmitri," Rick said, "But I'm not going to let you do all the work. Kate, hand me Alexis' bag there please?"

As Kate was reaching for the bag Dmitri stepped up and took it himself before she could reach it, bringing it to the trunk of the limo where Castle was trying to put all the bags in. "I don't think the trunk is big enough Dmitri," he said as the young man stood next to him.

Kate heard Dmitri sigh and smiled as she walked to the trunk and looked in. "Castle! Have you ever packed anything in a trunk before? Look at all the wasted space!"

On Rick's other side, Alexis peeked in and added, "Not your best work Dad."

"Hmmm, maybe if we left a couple of bags home, we could ship them down…"

"Mr. Castle, there is enough room. Please, just get into the car and allow me to put the bags away."

Kate noticed that Alexis was watching Dmitri as he spoke to her father. There was something in her eye that Kate was happy to see. A tiny spark, but a spark none the less. They'd all been worried when she broke up with Ashley, but for the first time since that night, Kate knew for a fact that Alexis was fine and was moving on.

"Dad, if Pyotr or Paval were here do you think you'd be doing this now?"

Rick turned to Alexis with a puzzled look and Kate added from the other side, "Do you want Dmitri to get in trouble?"

Rick turned to Kate with the same puzzled look when Alexis asked, "What do you think his mother will say when she hears about this?"

Rick turned back to Alexis, still wearing that same puzzled look when Kate added, "Yeah, Rick. You really want to tangle with Yana?"

Rick turned back to Kate and this time there was some trepidation in his look along with the puzzlement when Alexis said, "You saw how chummy she and Kate were at the party Dad."

This time Rick didn't turn to Alexis, this time he stood up straight, raised his hands in surrender and said, "My neck is starting to hurt, I'm going in the car."

As he walked past them and entered the vehicle, Alexis smiled sweetly at Dmitri and said, "There you are Dmitri, it's all yours."

Dmitri blushed, bowed his head slightly and said, "Thank you Miss Castle, Miss Beckett. I appreciate your help."

Alexis smiled at him once again and Kate watched as it had the desired affect on the young man. As the two made their way to the open door, Kate murmured to Alexis, "Devastating smile you've got there Lex."

Alexis turned to Kate and with a beaming smile whispered back, "Really? It was good?"

They stopped before entering and Kate said with a smile, "Oh yes. It did exactly what you wanted it to do."

With a little, self satisfied smile on her face, Alexis entered the limousine, quickly followed by Kate. They had just sat down and were making themselves comfortable when Dmitri closed the trunk, came up to the door and seeing everyone sitting inside, closed it as well. Within a minute he was behind the wheel and they were pulling out of the parking garage, heading to the airport.

Rick had his back turned, craning his neck to see if Dmitri left any bags behind. Not seeing any, turned back to Kate and said, "How did he get them all in that little space?"

Alexis and Kate laughed at his remark as Kate opened the small fridge and got out two bottles of water, one for her and the other for Alexis. They were both taking a sip when Dmitri's voice came from behind them saying they should be at the airport within the next half hour and hoped they enjoyed the ride.

Kate noticed a little smile on Alexis' face and a gleam in her blue eyes. Watching Alexis with pride, Kate thought, 'Oh Ashley, you are such a jerk, you really blew it big time.'

Twenty seven minutes later, the car pulled up at the airport and Rick immediately jumped out to help with the bags. Kate and Alexis looked at each other and smiled as he did, knowing that he really wanted to check and make sure Dmitri really did get all their bags in the trunk.

Dmitri held the door open as the two women exited the car and walked to the rear where Rick stood looking in the trunk. Dmitri walked back with them, excused himself as he got between Rick and the trunk and then started removing their bags. Kate watched Rick as he counted each one to make sure they were all there and then shook his head in defeat. Somehow, some way, Dmitri managed to get all their bags in the trunk with room to spare.

As Dmitri closed the trunk, Rick reached into his pocket to give him a tip. Dmitri smiled and held up his hand saying, "No thank you Mr. Castle. You know our rules concerning you."

"But Dmitri, this is your first time on your own, I really want to do this."

Shaking his head no, Dmitri smiled and said, "We have your schedule and I or one of my uncles will pick you up in ten days." He nodded his head to each as he said, "Have a pleasant trip Mr. Castle, Miss Beckett, Miss Castle."

As he turned away, Alexis smiled and said, "Dmitri?"

He turned back and said, "Yes Miss Castle?"

"Are you still on the clock?"

With a confused look Dmitri said, "I'm sorry?"

Waving her hand at the bags now being put on a cart by a porter, Alexis asked, "Now that you've dropped us off, are you still on the clock?"

"Oh! Now I see," he said understanding. "No, I am no longer 'on the clock', why do you ask?"

"Well in that case you can call me Alexis, can't you?"

He smiled and blushed slightly when she said this, then with a bigger smile he said, "Have a nice vacation Alexis."

With a grin she replied, "Thank you Dmitri. See you when we get back," then with a little wave she turned around to follow her dad and Kate as they were getting ready to follow the porter into the airport.

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They'd been enjoying the sun and warmth since they arrived and today was the first one spent on the beach. As Kate and Alexis made up stories about the people walking by, Rick got a far away look on his face, and immediately started looking for his phone to make some notes. Noticing this out of the corner of her eye, Alexis reached into her beach bag and brought out a steno notepad and a gel ink pen. She opened the pad, clicked the pen, and handed them to her father who immediately started writing.

Not once did Alexis break the conversation with Kate until they finished describing the heavyset older man wearing a speedo as being related to giant squids wanting to take over the earth. As they both chuckled at their imaginations, they looked over at Rick who was still busy writing, having filled several pages already.

Alexis looked at Kate who smiled back at her, and said, "That was a great idea you had Alexis. No interruptions from anyone and he can still keep his notes." They both looked at Rick as he stared into space before another spurt of writing took all his concentration.

Smiling at Alexis, Kate asked if she'd like to take a walk with her to get an ice cream.

"As much as I'd like to go with you Kate, we can't leave him alone when he's writing, he get's himself lost if we do."

At Kate's confused look Alexis explained, "Sub-consciously he may be hearing what we're saying, but consciously, he's in his own world, and when he comes out he's slightly lost."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, and when that happens if I'm not there, he gets up to look for me." She gave an exasperated sigh and looked lovingly at her father. "Honestly, it never fails that he always goes to look for me in the wrong direction."

Kate smiled and looked at Rick with the same loving glance that Alexis had. "Do you have any more pads in there? If he fills this one up he may need more."

"I have one more here with me."

"I think I'll follow your example and get a pad or two myself to carry in my bag. If he doesn't have his phone, or I take it away from him, he can still make notes."

As the two women were speaking, they were looking at Rick who was writing with such concentration that he really didn't hear what was going on around him.

"I think that's a good idea," Alexis smiled and said, "You know Kate, this wasn't really a new idea. Keeping pads and pens available happened when I was eight, and Dad got inspired while sitting at the kitchen island. His computer was in his office so he grabbed a piece of paper and pencil and started writing…unfortunately he ended up writing on the back of my homework assignments."

"You're kidding!"

Alexis smiled and said, "Nope, I'm not. He didn't have a laptop then. When he finished writing and realized what he did, he saw how upset with him I was. He came into school with me the next morning, apologized to my teacher and made photocopies of my homework so I could hand them in."

Reaching over, she patted Kate on the hand and said, "I'm so glad you're here to help me take care of him."

Kate smiled at the teenager, then corrected her thought, 'No, young woman,' and recalled what she was like four years before, when she first saw Alexis in the dark bar. Suddenly realizing how bright the sun was, she reached into her beach bag and pulled out the spray bottle of sunscreen. Looking at Alexis she said, "Time for another application."

Sighing, Alexis looked back at Kate and said, "You're almost as bad as Dad."

Handing the bottle to Alexis, Kate said, "You're not going to talk me out of this. Your skin is so fair it would burn from a light bulb! Spray it on thick!"

Alexis giggled and sprayed all the parts of herself she could reach, then handed the bottle back to Kate and turned around, letting Kate spray her back. Beside her on the blanket was her hat and she put that back on her head and watched as Kate put lotion on herself, then started spraying Rick, who was so engrossed in writing that he didn't even notice he was being sprayed with sunscreen.

Putting the sunscreen back in her bag, Kate took the other pad out Alexis' bag and scribbled a few lines on it. When she finished writing, she put the pad down in front of Rick, reached for Alexis' hand and said, "Come on, let's get some ice cream, I left him a note."

Alexis looked at the note, smiled at Kate and then both women got up and headed to the ice cream bar. They talked and laughed as they made their way through the sand to the snack area, completely oblivious to the admiring eyes that watched them as they passed.

As they stood in line for ice cream Kate said, "You know Alexis this is really the first time we've had to talk without your dad nearby."

Standing beside Kate, Alexis looked up at her questioningly and said, "Yes."

Kate gave a grin and said, "So I just thought I'd tell you while I had the chance that you did exactly what you wanted to do to Dmitri the other day."

A huge grin came over her face as Alexis said, "Really? I wasn't sure but it seemed that he sort of liked me and it seemed kinda fun to just flirt a little bit."

"Oh he likes you all right. And as for the flirting, you did it so well that your dad didn't even notice when you did."

Alexis seemed to glow at Kate's words, "I was shocked when I saw him at the christening party. I remembered him as this gawky, pain of a kid who kept teasing me all the time. Boy what a difference a few years make!"

"Alexis, you should take a good long look in the mirror when we get back. Those same years were really good to you too, and don't think for a moment that Dmitri hasn't noticed."

Bowing her head for a moment, a small smile appeared on her face as Alexis looked up at Kate through her eyelashes, "Yeah, I noticed him noticing."

The line kept moving and they soon were stepping back with three ice cream cones. "We may have to hurry back to the blanket to get there before this melts."

"Dad is so going to love that Kate. A combination of mint chocolate chip and cookie dough…he'll be in heaven!"

"It's almost like they knew we'd be here and made something just for him," Kate answered as they wove their way through the crowd back to the beach.

Reaching the beach, Kate saw a group of boys watching Alexis as they were passing by. Just to let them know whom they'd be facing if they tried anything, Kate asked, a bit louder, "There's a gym at the hotel, do you want to continue your self-defense training? You're getting really good you know."

Seeing the boys out of the corner of her eyes Alexis understood what Kate was doing. It warmed her heart to know that Kate was being protective of her, but being her father's child she had to add something, so she said, "That would be good, but I'd really like it if you taught me how to shoot. I think your Glock is really cool!"

Kate saw the boys hesitate as they heard the conversation and she realized that Alexis' question was both for their benefit but also real. She'd mentioned a few times during self defense classes that she'd like to know how to shoot, so Kate responded by whispering, "Well that seemed to scare off the boys. We'll bring it up with your dad sometime when it won't scare him too much."

Alexis smiled and thanked Kate and then almost as an afterthought said, "So how hard is it to learn how to speak Russian?"

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As she was wiping ice cream off his shirt, Kate asked, "Honestly Rick, why did you bite the bottom off the cone in the first place?"

"It was melting and it's really fun to suck it out from the bottom."

"You're supposed to bite off only a small opening on the bottom Dad, not almost half the cone!"

"I did! But then the cookie dough blocked it and I had to make a bigger hole."

Grabbing a few more napkins Kate said, "Yeah, but then you should just eat from the hole in the cone, not go back to the top and lick the ice cream from there! I don't think these stains will come out...Alexis, what do you think?"

Alexis shook her head and said, "I think that shirt is toast Dad. Were you able to clean the ice cream off the pages you wrote?"

Looking at the pad and touching the damp paper Rick answered, "Oh yeah. Some of the words are a little fuzzy but we got them separated in time to save my notes."

Kate put the napkins in Ricks hand and said, "In that case I think I'm going in the water."

"Swimming right after eating Kate? I'd better alert the lifeguard," Rick said pretending to be alarmed.

Swatting his arm with the back of her hand Kate said, "Actually I think what that little boy over there is doing looks fun and relaxing."

Kate got up and headed for the water as Rick and Alexis looked at the little boy in question, sitting on the sand at the waterline and laughing as each wave came up.

Rick then turned and watched as Kate sat down not too far from the boy and enjoyed the waves washing over her legs. Alexis watched him watching Kate and hearing him sigh, said, "Yeah Dad I know. How did we get so lucky?"

"I don't know Pumpkin, but I think I really owe the Universe big time."

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After a few more hours on the beach, they headed back to the hotel to rest for a few hours before going out to dinner. As Rick and Kate walked to the door of the hotel room, Rick asked again, "Are you sure you don't mind Alexis? We can stay if you don't feel well."

Looking over her fathers shoulder at Kate, Alexis said, I'm sure Dad, you and Kate go out and I'll just rest here and watch some TV. Really, I probably just got a little too much sun."

"If you're sure…"

"I am Dad."

He still hesitated before turning to Kate who said, "Rick, today was a very busy day and there's no fever. Alexis is just tired and can really use a little rest. Right Alexis?"

"That's right Dad. I haven't had this much excitement in a while and I think I just want to relax. You and Kate go and have a good time."

"Ok Pumpkin, but if you need anything, call."

"I will Dad," Alexis said as she came up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He turned to the door and Alexis smiled at Kate and mouthed 'thank you' to her.

Kate smiled back at Alexis and then turned to go out the door with Rick. This was one of those 'adult' evenings Alexis needed them to take so she could do her schoolwork. As they reached the elevator, Rick put his hand in his pocket and said, "I forgot my phone! I have to go back."

Kate put her hand out to stop him and said, "You mean this phone here?"

He looked in her other hand and saw his phone. Reaching for it he said, "You picked my pocket again? That is so cool! I didn't feel a thing. Wait a second, we're engaged now, wouldn't it be more fun if I felt it?"

Pulling the phone away from him, Kate opened her purse and put it inside with hers. "Monitoring your calls, remember? If it's Alexis I'll hand it to you, if a friend calls, it's your decision to answer. If it's business, then we let it go to voice mail. We're on vacation."

Entering the elevator, Rick was stuck on one thought, "I really think now that we're engaged, it can be a lot of fun if you let me feel you picking my pocket."

A wicked smile came on her face as she put her hand on his butt and pinched. "You mean like this?"

As the doors closed Rick had a big grin on his face. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, "Why Miss Beckett, I never!"

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The days passed slowly and they each found new energy and strength from both the sun and each other. Rick was so appreciative of the time that Kate and Alexis spent together, even though he was sure they were talking about him when they were away. He felt a calm in his life that he'd never felt before. A sense of belonging to something so much greater than himself that it sometimes felt overwhelming, and at the same time, it infused him with a sense of joy he'd never known.

Alexis managed to keep up with her studies and was secretly pleased with herself that her dad still thought she was playing hooky. And the more time she spent with Kate, the more the lines blurred. Sometimes she was a mother figure, other times a sister and others still a friend. But always she was Kate. Someone who was there for her and who she felt she could always rely on. It wasn't just her and her dad any more, and that filled her with so much emotion she sometimes wondered how she could hold it in.

Kate meanwhile, was experiencing a facet of life that she'd only read about, or dreamed about. The last six months were at times a whirlwind and at others a serene calm journey to her future. These last days in Florida with Rick and Alexis however, were a time of family.

Family. That was a word she never really expected to hear and feel again, but Rick and his family opened their hearts and arms and simply took her in, accepted her for all that she is, and loved her for that. There were times when they simply were all together that she felt so damn grateful she didn't know what to do or say.

After the month Rick and Kate had, with murders almost every day, they desperately needed this time away from New York and the reminders of day-to-day life. This time to recharge themselves for the weeks and months ahead, and at the same time, grow even closer to, and support each other.

It's something that families do.

The day before they were going to leave, Alexis sat next to her father on the balcony and looked out at the ocean. They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Alexis said, "Dad, I think you have to talk to Kate."

"Huh? Why?"

"She thinks her mouth is crooked."

"What? I seem to be missing something here."

"Dad!"

"Ok, why don't you start from the beginning."

"Yesterday when we were shopping we were trying on hats and sunglasses, the wilder the better."

"Did you bring any home?"

"That's not the point Dad, and no we didn't. But while we were looking in the mirror I mentioned how pretty Kate was and the sales lady said she was perfect."

"I think I'd agree with that…"

"Dad, stop interrupting! Kate took off the hat and glasses and walked outside. I followed her and we ended up buying ice cream and sitting by a pond watching the birds."

Alexis paused a moment and then said, "I asked her if anything was wrong and she said the woman called her perfect. I asked her what was wrong with that and she started to tell me how every guy she ever dated or went out with was only interested in how she looked. That was until you."

Rick softly asked, "Me?"

"Yeah. She knew at first that you were only interested in her for physical reasons, and it took a while for her to realize that you were looking beyond the exterior when you looked at her."

"Well, of course. She is beautiful, but that's the least of the reasons why I love her."

"She knows that Dad, and it surprises her all the time. But at the same time she wants to make sure that the physical Kate is as perfect for you as she can be."

"Alexis, I seem to seriously be missing something here."

"I doubt there is anything specific, but I think she felt she had to find something so she said she thinks her mouth is crooked, well not her mouth, but her teeth. Her teeth are crooked and her mouth is too big."

"Wait a minute. I've kissed that mouth and I can state from personal experience that it's the best kissing mouth I've ever kissed!"

"Huh?"

"That didn't come out as well as it sounded in my head."

"Well you need to tell her that."

"I tell her all the time."

"No, this time is different. She loves you so much and thinks she isn't perfect enough for you."

"But that's crazy. Kate's the strongest woman I know."

"Yeah she is strong Dad, but even the strongest people need someone to lean on now and then. In her life Kate needs you."

"Where is she?"

"She's in bed resting."

Getting up from his chair Rick said, "I suddenly feel the need for a nap Pumpkin, think you can stand being alone for a while?"

Smiling up at her father Alexis said, "I think I can manage for a while Dad."

Rick leaned down and kissed her head, then standing straight again he asked, "When did you get so smart?"

Alexis chuckled and repeated something Kate told her a few weeks earlier, "I'm a girl Dad, it comes with the job."

With a smile on his face, Rick walked into the suite and headed toward the bedroom he and Kate shared. He opened the door slowly and saw Kate lying on the top of the bed.

Quietly closing the door behind him, he walked up to the bed and then lay himself down behind Kate, spooning with her.

"Hi."

Kate mumbled something that he couldn't quite catch so he put his arm around her and slowly turned her over till she was facing him. "Hi," he said again.

A slow smile came on her face and she said hi back. He could tell there was something off, but she hadn't been crying, her eyes were clear. His left arm still around her, he started to rub her back which elicited those little moans that he so loved to hear.

Kate pulled her eyes from his and watched his mouth as she quietly asked, "Rick, how old was Meredith when you got married?"

Rick knew that as a guy he could be dense when it came to understanding women, his mother tells him that all the time. But right now, he knew the best thing was to simply answer her so he said, "Same age as me, early twenties."

"And Gina?"

"Younger, she was twenty nine."

Kate said quietly, "I'm thirty three, next year thirty four."

He didn't say anything, letting her take her time, he lightly kissed her forehead while he kept rubbing her back. After a minute or so of silence she said, "I'm thinking of plastic surgery."

He kept his hand slowly moving up and down her back even though inside he felt himself start with surprise. Treading on dangerous ground now, he knew every word he said was going to have a weight to it that was greater than he could imagine. This only took a few seconds to go through his mind and when he spoke, there was none of it in his voice.

"Oh?"

Not expecting that one word answer she looked up at his eyes again. She expected him to ask why, to question her decision, to try to talk her out of it. Definitely not what he said.

Her eyes bored into his as she sought any information from them at all, but the only thing that was there was love. When he looked at her like that she could just melt.

As he gazed at her and his eyes got even softer, she couldn't believe how deep they suddenly looked, and with all traces of innuendo, flirting and teasing gone he spoke to her with the utmost sincerity; the way he spoke when he bared his soul to her. "Kate, how long will it take till you know, truly know, that there is nothing about you, and not a spot anywhere on you, that isn't the most desirable thing I have ever known in my life."

Unable to speak with the emotions flowing in her, she tucked her head under his chin and simply breathed, luxuriating in the scent of Richard Castle lying next to her, and in her arms. She literally could not speak, there were so many emotions rushing through her.

"It doesn't matter if you're dressed in the most beautiful dress in the world or just coming out of the gym in your sweats, hair all mussed and no makeup on. No one, absolutely no one in my life has affected me the way you do. I love every part of you, I adore every part of you and I revel in every part of you, and yet, that is the tiniest part of why I love you."

Bringing his hand from her back her lightly brushed her face and said, "This could all fade away tomorrow and I will still love you beyond any love I have ever known."

Her eyes blinked as she held back the tears while he continued, "I loved you long before I met you. The dream of you only became reality when you brought me in for questioning."

He lightly kissed her forehead and said, "You are the most caring, thoughtful, understanding, protective, helpful person I have ever known. You give unceasingly of yourself to others, sometimes to the detriment of your own health. You have taken Alexis under your wing and become the confidant for her that she desperately needs in her life, and you did it only because you cared for her. For who she is, not what she is."

He took a deep breath and said, "To me you are beyond perfect just the way you are. I love you so much."

Pulling his head from hers, he looked her in the eyes and that cute little grin came back out as he said, "God Kate, how can you not know how much and how easily you turn me on? How even the thought of you makes me dizzy with desire?"

The sparkle in her eyes was now partly from laughter along with the tears she held back. She chuckled and said, "Dizzy with desire, Rick? Really?"

His eyes crinkled and he shrugged his shoulders, "Extemporaneous. You make it very hard for me to think when I'm with you, you know."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she leaned in and kissed him. Softly, tenderly, with no hint of the fears she felt before. Soft butterfly kisses that healed something inside her, and she whispered while her lips were on his, "I love you so much."

A few light kisses later, he whispered back, "I love you too, oh so very much."

Putting her right arm over his shoulder, they held each other tight and simply lay there on the bed, wrapped in each other.

Unbidden came the thought, a phrase from a song she heard years ago, how perfectly right the words were. She thought it was Martina McBride who sang the words, 'Safe in the arms of love.'

She felt that. Oh, how she felt that, and she knew that from now on, all the words will make perfect sense.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: Since the last chapter was so intense I thought a little R&R was needed not only for our DD but for you as well dear readers…and I thought that if I gave you another 40 page opus you'd probably digitally stone me. ;-p **

**As you can see, my time line is still in 2011, October to be exact, and the homicide division of the 12th Precinct has been working night and day for the past month on case after case. All the teams are exhausted, thus Kate's team gets the first furlough and 10 days off. This means however that Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are coming up in my AU, which is not good news for me. How would you like to compete with the likes of chezchuckles and fanficwriterGHC? Yeah, I thought so. **

**We'll see what happens but don't be surprised if those holidays are only mentioned in passing. ;-)**


	22. Chapter 22, Something old, something new

Is Forever Possible

Chapter 22, Something old, something new, Part 1

by RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: All the major characters are owned by Andrew Marlow, ABC, Disney and a whole bunch of shareholders who won't give them to me. I receive no remuneration for my stories (as if anyone would), so I don't have any royalties to share.

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Semi-Authors Note: This is part one of a two parter. See end notes for more boring details.

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After returning from vacation in October, Rick, Kate and the rest of her team were thrown right back into the thick of things as what everyone called the 'month from hell' turned into the 'three months from hell'. Yet despite the workload, the 12th Precinct still managed to enjoy the holidays that were coming up.

This year Rick's Halloween party theme was TV shows. Rick wanted himself and Kate to dress as Batman and Robin but they couldn't agree on who would be Batman. The Green Hornet and Kato had the same problem and there was no way that Rick was going to dress up as Lois Lane, which had Kate laughing in hysterics because she hadn't even suggested it to him. They finally decided on what Rick had wanted all along, Gomez and Morticia Adams from the Adams Family. Rick found a box with a moving hand in it to represent Thing that he carried around, and Kate had a pretend man-eating plant in a pot that she carried with her. The plant looked exactly like the one on TV, and Kate could make its mouth open and close with a button on the bottom of the pot, just like Cleopatra did on the old show.

As usual, his party was a huge success, this year even more than ever because it was as much a party for the holiday as it was a celebration of their being together; although Kate wondered aloud how Carolyn Jones managed to walk in such a tight dress when she played Morticia on the show. Rick however loved it on her and kept asking her to wear it every chance he got.

Thanksgiving found everyone working on what would turn out to be the last case from the 'three months from hell', and all three homicide teams were pretty much running on empty.

They were back up to three teams now and Captain Montgomery was looking forward to his other two leads, Beckett and Karpowski, helping the new detectives become acclimated by going with them to the orientation classes held in December. Detective Perkins from Karpowski's team had been promoted to lead detective after Collins retired, which had left openings in his and Karpowski's teams, but two promotions from other precincts filled the quota. Karpowski and Kate however knew that this wasn't the only reason they would be going along to orientation, their respective teams were being allowed to run solo, without their leaders. Montgomery did this periodically to see just how far the teams have progressed. He looked forward to promotions and always strived to make his officers the best they could be. Kate wasn't worried, she knew that Esposito and Ryan would shine in whatever case came their way.

Rick was not very happy about this however, as he was personally asked by the Captain not to help, just to see how well the teams did. That didn't bother Rick as much as not being allowed to go with Kate to the orientation meetings, but Montgomery was adamant, and because he'd been such a good friend, Rick reluctantly agreed and didn't argue with his suggestion.

This didn't stop him from teasing Kate about it however. Rick knew how to complain, after all, he'd lived with Meredith and Gina and they were first class complainers in his opinion, so he had no trouble using some of the tactics he learned from them when he teased Kate. He teased her however in a fun and loving way rather than the way it was used on him, and only sparingly. He found there was only so much teasing Kate could take before it started to bother her.

Kate had been serious for so many years that she still had trouble enjoying the slight teasing that Rick would send her way. He knew that she'd made tremendous progress in the years since they met, mostly in the months just prior to and after they started dating. But there were days when his teasing would hit a button on her and she would either get very quiet, reliving whatever memory the button brought to mind, or she would just outright tell him that she wasn't in the mood.

Being honest with himself, he realized that he had changed as well in those years and his teasing was much less than it had been before he met Kate. He was ok with that though, he determined his main purpose in life was to love Kate and let her know she was loved. And he was really good at that, Kate told him he was.

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Orientation was set for the sixth, seventh, and eighth of December. At 8:00am on the morning of the sixth, Kate was standing in line in front of a folding table. Karpowski and their two detectives were already inside getting a table and Kate was going to sign in for them all and get their name tags. Soon she was first in line and gave her name, then Roselyn Karpowski and detectives Kent Taylor and Oliver Cromwell, whose name Castle just loved. Picking up the nametags, Kate entered the conference room and zeroed in on the line of coffee pots. Fixing herself a cup, she headed to the table where Karpowski and the others were sitting.

There were two other detectives from the 7th Precinct sitting at their table as Kate sat down and passed out the nametags to her group. She decided to ignore the glances she was getting from one of the 7th Precinct detectives, Hoskins his name tag said. She made a point of rubbing her engagement ring a few times before he finally seemed to get the hint and concentrated on the program that was just starting.

A tall, distinguished looking man stepped up to the podium, tapped the microphone to make sure it was on and then started to speak. "I'm Lieutenant Daniels and we'll be going over some basics of the NYPD detectives divisions." Kate and Roselyn sat through all the boring stuff they'd learned years ago when they became detectives, making sure however that the newbies on their team kept paying attention. At one point, Kate wished she'd let Rick download the Angry Birds game on her phone, to help her pass the time.

Almost two hours into the presentation, Lt. Daniels mentioned that civilian consultants occasionally assist the department, which brought up a question from one of the other tables on psychics who call claiming their powers or the spirits told them all about murders. Kate and Roselyn rolled their eyes at this and Lt. Daniels was not kind in his comments on psychics in general. He said that the normal consultant was usually a college professor or a professional in another occupation that could assist the police investigation.

"The 9th, 12th, 15th, 22nd and 24th Precincts currently have civilian consultants," he said. "Some of you are from one of those Precincts and have probably worked with your consultant at one time or another."

Another hand came up and a voice asked, "Isn't the consultant from the 12th a writer?"

Beside her, Kate felt Roselyn sit up in her chair and noticed the two new detectives did the same. All four of them were prepared to defend Castle to this group, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

"As far as our consultants go," Lt. Daniels said, "Richard Castle is something of an anomaly. He certainly doesn't fit into any mold or category for consultant that the NYPD has ever had before, but just because he's a writer doesn't mean he isn't qualified."

Kate let out a small breath and noticed that the others from the 12th did as well as Lt. Daniels continued to speak.

"When he first came on the scene, Mr. Castle immediately ruffled feathers. He not only thought outside the box, but as far as he was concerned, the box didn't exist. We needed to know that he would not be a hindrance to the team he was shadowing, and that he would not impede their investigations in any way, so I was instructed to look into his accomplishments and credentials."

Lt. Daniels paused and looked around the room, catching the eyes of many in his audience before he began to speak again.

"One of Mr. Castle's most famous and popular characters was Derrick Storm. For those of you who have not read his work, Derrick Storm, among other things, was ex-Navy Seal." He smiled and continued, "How many of you have taken Navy Seal training? Don't bother to answer, I know that none of you have, but Mr. Castle did, about twelve years ago. "

The room was quiet as that information was absorbed; Karpowski turned to Beckett and asked, "Why didn't you tell us?" To which Kate answered, "I didn't know, but it sure answers some questions."

Another detective raised his hand and asked, "Does that mean Mr. Castle was a Navy Seal?"

Lt. Daniels shook his head and said, "No he wasn't, Mr. Castle was never in the military, but the Navy was thrilled to have the hero of a very popular series of books based on their Seals, and he was allowed to take a modified course for research."

He looked intently at the group and said, "I've seen his scores on the shooting range, I'll bet you dollars to donuts, and you know how important donuts are to police, that no one in this room can out shoot him, and it doesn't matter what type of gun you use. He has even had some training in unarmed combat and has a federal license to carry a gun, although he never does."

Lt. Daniels smiled and said, "But that's not the main reason he was allowed to stay on as a consultant. He has the equivalent of three college degrees in Criminal Behavior, Criminal Methodologies and basic Criminology, and even spent five months working with a pathologist to understand what evidence they can find from a body, and how they can find it."

Smiling, Daniels finished by saying, "All that book knowledge on criminology and his actual experience in the field has helped the 12th Precinct have the highest closure rate of the entire NYPD. Even the FBI and Homeland Security, who have both worked with him, are investigating whether adding an outside consultant like him would help in their cases, as he is truly an excellent Profiler."

There were no further comments and looking at his watch, Daniels said, "How about we take a 15 minute break and come back here at 10:30?"

As Kate got up to refresh her coffee, the 'Castle voice' inside her head spoke, and mimicking his Ricky Ricardo accent it said, "Ricky, you have some 'splainin' to do', and Kate could only agree.

The rest of the day went slowly for the veteran detectives, but they were both pleased by the level of understanding their new members had with the material offered. Kate was glad that Karpowski, for some reason she had a hard time thinking of her as Roselyn, was there to keep her mind on the course because all she kept going back to in her mind was Rick, and the surprising information she had learned about him this morning.

She was having dinner and staying over at the Loft tonight, and on the way she gave Rick a call to let him know she was leaving. "Great!" he said, "What would you like to eat?"

"They really didn't feed us much," she replied, "So anything will be good."

"Anything? Really Kate, you should know better by now not to give me carte blanche like that."

Kate laughed and thought she'd lay the groundwork for her questions to him later and said, "Ok Rick, what about seafood?"

"Seafood it is!" he said with a laugh, "Any kind in particular? Lobster? Cod? Swordfish? Shrimp…"

Kate interrupted him and said, "How about seal?"

"Seal? What made you ask for that?"

"I heard an interesting story today about seals."

"Oh," he said and then added in a small voice, "And I never told you about it, huh?"

"Right in one Ricky. So what do you think we'll talk about over dinner tonight?"

"I have a scrapbook that I'll show you dear," he said trying to sound serious, but Kate could hear the smile in his voice.

Starting the car Kate said, "Good. It seems you know more about me than I do about you, and I would rather not be surprised to find these things out about my future husband."

"Hmmm, I have a few other scrapbooks and notes and…I guess we'll be doing our own variation on Twenty Questions for the foreseeable future."

"One of the many reasons I love you," Kate said.

"Probably way too many to recount now anyway," he answered with a swagger in his voice.

Kate found her tongue was sticking in the corner of her lip and she was looking forward to the verbal swordplay as much as simply seeing him. Deciding he didn't need much of an ego boost she, simply ended the call by saying, "I'll be home in about 30 minutes. Love you."

And as she was about to disconnect the phone, she heard his voice say he loves her back and all she could think was how much she loved that man.

In her life, no man had ever kept her as interested and excited to simply be with him like Richard Castle. Will and Josh were the longest relationships she ever had before Rick, and both lost their luster long before the relationship ended. That certain something that was there in the beginning just fizzled out after a few months, but not with Rick. In fact, that feeling just keeps getting better with every passing day.

Rick is the only man who has ever really been able to keep up with her mentally, his mind so quick that she finds herself often trying to keep up with him. Like the conversation they just had, so much said with so few words, and they both understood every meaning.

Thinking this, she realized that she was coming home to _him_, to Alexis, and Martha probably, but most of all to him; and that thought made her wish she was already there.

Later that night, lying next to a sleeping Rick, Kate went over what they'd talked about after dinner. For a man who lived in the public eye as much as Richard Castle, he was more humble than she ever imagined. She went over the last thing he said before they went to sleep.

"_I don't want to brag about what I did or do for research Kate, because I learn from people who have to do that job day after day. They're the real heroes here Kate, but all I have to do is say I took a modified SEAL training course and fans will be talking about what a great thing I did and completely miss the fact that these men train daily for missions that would scare the hell out of most of us. And they do it because they love this country, not to sell a few books."_

_Rick paused a moment to collect his thoughts then said, "Every day you, Ryan and Esposito and the rest of the NYPD go to work never knowing if it will be the last time. I never realized what the police go through till I followed you, and yet when you read my fan mail or go on the fan sites, all they talk about is how brave I am to follow you. _You're_ the real hero Kate, but you wouldn't know that by what my fans think. And that's why I never brag about what I've learned or where I learned it…and I never, ever let Paula or Gina let any of it slip. If I hadn't needed Bob to push to allow me to follow you, it would never have gotten out what I was doing."_

Kate thought about the photos she'd seen, learning how to shoot and fight with a knife from both the SEALS and Marines. Sitting in colleges monitoring courses to learn about criminology, pathology and psychology, not to mention learning how to fence, shoot bow and arrow, scuba dive, sky dive…Kate realized that in the years since he graduated college, Rick has continued to learn as much as he can about everything he can.

Looking at the time, she turned over and snuggled next to him. Her last thoughts before sleep overtook her were how proud of Rick she was, not only from what she learned about his previous research, but that he hid it from the world so as to not take away from those who he felt really deserved the credit and recognition. She was going to marry the most wonderful man she's ever known.

.

.

"Want any more eggs or toast?" Rick asked, as they were finishing breakfast.

"No thanks, but I'll take that last slice of bacon if Alexis doesn't want it."

"You can have it Kate, I need to leave for school or else I'll be late," Alexis said.

Finishing her coffee Kate said, "Hold on Alexis, I'll drive you to school, Karpowski can take care of the newbies for a few minutes without me."

Smiling, Alexis said, "Thanks Kate. I was having so much fun at breakfast that I didn't notice the time. I appreciate the ride."

"Let me get my gun and badge and then we'll leave," Kate said as she got up from her stool at the breakfast bar. As she headed toward Rick's office he grinned and started to reach for the last slice of bacon when without turning around Kate said, "That's my bacon Rick, hands off," before she entered the office.

Turning to Alexis he asked, "How does she do that?"

With a grin on her face Alexis said, "I don't know Dad, but I hope she teaches me."

Rick sighed and went to the closet to get their coats and then helped 'his girls' put them on, gave each a kiss, gave Kate the last slice of bacon, and wished them a good day. He stood in the doorway as they walked to the elevator when Kate turned around and said, "Don't forget, you have a meeting this afternoon with Bob for his charity, and tomorrow we only have a half day of training so I'm having lunch with Maddie."

"I thought Paula took care of those things for me?"

"Someone wasn't answering his phone so she called me. I left all the information on your desk."

Nodding his head, Rick smiled and said, "Me, Bob, you Maddie," and then pointing to Alexis asked, "You Cheetah?"

As they entered the elevator, both Kate and Alexis rolled their eyes, and Alexis said, "Have a nice day Tarzan," as the doors closed. Chuckling, Rick closed his front door and went to clean up after breakfast, amazed once again at his little girl.

.

.

After another boring day-and-a-half in training, Kate couldn't wait to get out and was looking forward to meeting Maddie for lunch. Honestly, she was tired of having to deal with Detective Hoskins and his unwanted advances; even Karpowski was giving him the evil eye. After orientation was over yesterday, he had invited Kate for a drink to discuss what they'd learned, as if he were God's gift to women. When Kate told Hoskins she was engaged to a wonderful man and was not interested in him at all, he acted surprised that she said no.

He followed her to the car and leaned against it trying to charm her when she reached her breaking point and told him off. Never having experienced anything like an angry Beckett before, he was taken aback when she turned to him and he received full blast what she usually only does to criminals. She was angry and told him in no uncertain terms what she thought of him, his advances and his chances of retaining his gold shield if he kept pestering her. He stood back in shock, as she got into the car and drove away, not caring if he was still leaning on it or not. She was actually disappointed that she finally had to get tough with him and tell him to stop pestering her, although part of her was impressed that she used a word like 'pestering'.

She was remembering that as she drove to the restaurant to meet Maddie for lunch. 'Rick would be tickled pink and say that he was rubbing off on me,' she thought as she drove, but she decided she wouldn't say anything about it. Rick is protective of those he loves, and Kate was finding that even though she can take care of herself, it really wasn't bad at all to have someone else take care of her now and then. No, not bad at all.

Since Maddie needed to be there in case of problems or emergencies, they met for lunch at her place, Q3. As always the food was delicious, the conversation fun and varied and Kate was having a wonderful time.

After lunch while enjoying a coffee, Maddie got a call on her cell from Jean. They'd been dating for a few months now and as far as Kate knew, things were going well. However, when the phone conversation was ending, Maddie sighed and Kate asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing's really wrong Becks, it's just that I told Jean about my catering the Mayor's ball, and he acted like he never knew about it."

Kate took a sip of her coffee and said, "Hmmm."

"Hmmm what, Becks?"

"I had a talk with Alexis about this a few weeks ago. Do you remember when my mom explained why she didn't get upset with my dad when he forgot to do some things?"

"No, not really, why?"

"As a lawyer, she spent a lot of time observing people, and as an author Rick does the same thing. Independently they both came up with pretty much the same theory."

"And?"

"And, it all has to do with the way our brains are set up."

Maddie had a puzzled look on her face but said, "Ok Kate. Try to explain that please."

"It really turns out to be pretty simple the way Rick describes it; picture a brain like a giant closet. In a man's brain there are neat rows of boxes, each box represents something."

"Go on."

"Ok, now as Rick said, imagine he's watching sports on TV. When that happens he's into the sports box in his brain. He isn't in any other."

"Ok, now I'm lost. What do you mean by 'sports box'?"

"A man's brain is divided into boxes, each box represents something he does or thinks. They are all neatly set up and when they are watching sports they open the 'sports' box. If there is a problem, they immediately open the 'fix it' box. The thing to remember is that most guys can only open one box at a time."

Maddie still looked a bit confused but nodded her head anyway, hoping Kate would continue.

"Since they can only open one box at a time, if you try to talk to Jean about a recipe while he's watching sports, he can't handle it, because he's in the sports box, not the cooking box. Men have to close the box they're currently in, and then open the box you want them to be in if you want to have a conversation."

"And Rick figured this out how?"

"He spends hours almost every day watching and trying to understand people, and from his observations of men over the years, he came up with this theory, which sounds a lot like the one my mother mentioned when I was a girl."

"Alright, let me see if I understand this, if I try to talk to Jean while he's watching one of those reality shows he likes, he can't really follow me since he's in his TV box, right?"

"Right."

"So in order for him to talk to me about a recipe he has to close up the TV box and open the cooking box in his brain?"

"Exactly!"

"That doesn't make sense. Running a restaurant he has lots of things hitting him at once."

"But that's his running the restaurant box; it allows him to do everything he has to do to run the restaurant."

"I can feel there's more to this."

"Oh yeah, you bet there is. If he's in his running the restaurant box and you ask him about the car, a TV show or God forbid a relationship question, he'll freeze till he opens the proper box."

"You know, that kinda makes sense in a weird way. There are times when we've been talking and I change the subject several times and he's still a couple of subjects back."

"See? I knew you'd get it!"

"But I'm not that way."

"No, we're not. Now picture that same closet but this time it's a woman's brain. Every box is open and we're able to go from box to box without a problem. We multitask at a level most guys can't even dream of."

"So our brains are messy closets?"

"Maddie! What I'm saying is most guys have a hard time going from subject to subject as quickly as we can, but it's just the way their brains work. It takes them longer to do that since they have to close the box they currently have open, and then open the box that they need to be in."

"I think I understand."

"Let me give you an example. You know how I can get Rick confused by changing my conversation or asking him questions that have nothing to do with each other?"

"Oh yes, it's cute to watch."

"That's because sometimes he get's so involved in one box that he can't quickly go to another. When he's writing, the fire alarm could go off and it would take him a while to realize what's happening."

"Jean get's that way when he's cooking. I've had to call his name several times till he hears me."

"Right. This doesn't mean it happens all the time though. In emergencies there is no one I'd rather have with me than Rick." She paused a moment and added, "As far as the NYPD is concerned, he's the best partner I've ever had."

Nodding her head, Maddie said, "Ok, that makes sense. So I don't get upset that Jean hasn't heard, I should…what?"

"What I usually do those rare times when my mind is jumping around and Rick can't keep up, is to slow myself down and say something like, 'I'm talking about dinner tomorrow now', or 'I'm talking about changing the furniture now', you know, give him a heads up as it were."

"As it were?"

Kate gave a slight grin and said, "What can I say, world famous author and all that."

"Well this makes sense; I'll start using it on Jean tonight. It'll probably make things easier for us both," Maddie gave Kate a big smile and said, "Thanks for the idea."

"No charge. Next lesson will be the 'nothing' box."

"Nothing box? What the heck is a 'nothing' box?"

"That's something I have a hard time understanding. Rick's still trying to explain it to me. Have you ever asked a woman what she's doing and be told "nothing" as the answer?"

"No, can't say that I have."

"And have you ever asked a man what he's doing and been told "nothing" as the answer?"

"I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard a guy say that."

"That's because their closet has a 'nothing' box."

"Kate, I think my head's starting to hurt…and we haven't had any alcohol yet."

Kate laughed and said, "Well, we can fix that right now if you want."

Maddie shook her head and said she couldn't, but she would sure open one later tonight!

Kate chuckled and said, "You know Maddie, without realizing it I was following my mothers' and Rick's theories with the guys I dated, but not all guys are like that. Rick can usually keep up with me on every level, as a matter of fact; sometimes I have a hard time keeping up with him!"

Smiling, Maddie said. "Yeah I know Becks; it's almost creepy how you two can almost read each others mind. Remember, I've been there when you've hardly said a word to each other and yet known exactly what was going on, answering questions that were never asked."

With a soft smile Kate replied, "You have no idea how wonderful that is Maddie. Alexis once told my dad that there was 'a Kate-sized hole' in their lives till I came along and filled it, but there was a Castle-sized hole in me, and I honestly have never felt so at peace in my life as I do now. I have a family again Maddie, and no matter how hard I pushed him away he kept coming back till I couldn't help but admit I loved him and them."

Picking up her coffee cup, Maddie said, "Then let's make a toast, to men; simple, complicated, irritating and wonderful men."

Raising her cup Kate said, "I'll definitely drink to that," and they both took a sip, each with a soft smile on their face as they thought about 'their' man.

.

.

The next day, they caught a case and due to Ryan's newly acquired knowledge of flower shops, they were able to close it in two days. Esposito even told Castle he would never tease Ryan again when Jenny made him go through catalogs for the wedding. Kate smiled to herself as Rick kept trying to figure a way to incorporate the word flowers into a Nikki Heat title. She knew the murder of a flower delivery man was going to show up in the next book.

Since they all stayed so late each night working on the case, Captain Montgomery told them they could have half the day off on Monday, even if the paperwork wasn't complete. With this in mind, Kate made some calls Monday morning and at noon, she and Rick left the precinct.

As they were driving, Kate said, "I'm going to drop you off at the Loft."

"But there's nothing to do there. Can't I stay with you?"

"Nope, you can't stay with me. I have things to do."

"What things?"

"Thing things."

"Why won't you tell me what kind of things?"

"Rick, there are still a few parts of my life that are private you know."

"Nah uh."

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation."

"Kate, seriously, you _are_ with me. Not only that, but we're engaged and spending almost all of our free time together."

"So? That doesn't mean I don't need a few private moments in my life."

"Of course you do, and I respect that."

"Good."

"Wanna tell me about them?"

"About what?"

"Your private moments."

"What part of 'private' don't you understand Rick."

"Pretty much all of it."

Shaking her head and with a slight smile on her face Kate said, "We've been together almost nine months. Nine months. And you expect a free pass into those few private moments of my life?"

"Oh I got one of those years ago."

"What?"

"You gave me that free pass…well actually I bullied you into giving me one." Looking at her from the corner of his eye he quickly added, "You know, bullied is such a harsh word, perhaps I should say you allowed me access…"

"How about you barged your way into my life."

He thought about it for a few seconds and said, "Works for me, after all, I got you in the end. So what things are you going to do?"

"Thing things."

"Thing things?"

"Why is it when I have a conversation with you lately I end up speaking like a child?"

"Probably my natural charm and charisma…plus the fact that I bring out your inner child."

"My inner child?"

"Yes. She's totally cute and adorable…a lot like you."

"Don't try to schmooze me into saying anything. You'll be home in five minutes and then I can do my personal things."

"You underestimate me Kate; you seem to forget how much nagging I can do in a mere five minutes. You may as well tell me now and we can forego all that."

She looked at him in astonishment at his comment, "You can't be serious."

He looked back at her with a somber expression and said, "Oh I am. You know that if I really try, you _will_ give up in frustration and tell me before we get to the loft."

Putting his hand on her arm, he said with false sincerity, "Really, Kate, it's for your own good to tell me now."

"Geez Rick, can you be any more of a pain?"

"Time is running out Kate, what's your decision?"

"Ok, ok. I thought of something I wanted to get you and I'm going to check out a few places."

"Is it for my birthday?"

"Rick, is it time for your birthday?"

Eyes twinkling with excitement, but with a serious expression on his face he said, "No, but I accept birthday presents all year long."

"Well it isn't for your birthday, what holiday is coming up?"

"It's my Christmas present! Ooo, can I help you pick it out?"

"NO! You can't help pick out your own present! What are you, twelve?"

He stopped and thought a moment and said seriously, "According to the love of my life, sometimes I am."

'Did he really just say 'Love of my life?' she thought.

"Yes I really did say that," he said, answering her unasked question.

Deciding on another tactic she said, "Rick, do you want me to get you a present?"

His eyes lit up as he said, "Oh yes!"

"Then you will let me do this on my own or I will change shifts with Karpowski's team and we'll all be working on your birthday."

"You wouldn't do that…would you?"

"Better believe it. And one more thing, you won't get any present from me at all."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"When you say nothing, are you also talking about…"

"Nothing!"

He looked at her with a mixture of shock and puppy dog hurt but she was not about to give in. While he stared at her, she simply enjoyed the silence for the next few minutes.

As they pulled in front of the Loft, he finally spoke, "I had no idea you would play so dirty…I love it!"

She looked at him with surprise on her face as he gave her a kiss. After getting out of the car, he bent down to look at her and said, "Have fun getting me an awesome present!" Then he turned around and almost ran into Martha.

"Mother! Sorry I didn't see you there." He paused a moment and added, "Actually, what _are_ you doing here? You didn't mention anything happening today."

"I'm going shopping. As a matter of fact, I'm going shopping with Kate." At that, she patted her son on the cheek, allowed him to open the door for her and got in the car.

Just before he closed the door, she turned to him and said, "Now do try to keep out of trouble dear. Perhaps you can write! You may be surprised at what your imagination comes up with."

His eyes lighting, Rick replied, "Thank you Mother. Perhaps I will write. With you going shopping I'll probably need the additional income." Then with a grin, he closed the door.

Putting the window down slightly, Martha winked at him and said, "Don't be smart dear, I'll send you to bed without supper." She gave him a big smile and put the window up, then turned to Kate and said, "However do you manage to look so good for police work?"

Not quite sure how to respond to that Kate said, "Thank you for coming with me Martha, can you believe he actually wanted to help pick out his own gift?"

"I don't doubt that at all Kate," Martha replied. "Richard has always listened to his own drummer. I hope you know what you want to get him, because I'm sure I wouldn't be much help in finding a present that he will really love."

Kate smiled and said, "His I already know, it's a present for Alexis that I'm concerned about."

Patting Kate's arm Martha said, "Oh, well that will be no trouble then, she's let slip a few things that she likes. I mentioned them to her father and between the three of us we should be able to get her everything."

As they drove, Kate and Martha spoke about the Castle Christmas traditions and Martha noticed Kate was a bit quieter than before. Putting her hand on Kate's arm she said, "My dear, if there are any traditions you had with your parents, we'd like to add them to ours."

Giving Martha a slight smile Kate replied, "Thank you Martha, Rick's told me that too. For so many years my dad and I haven't celebrated Christmas, there were so many memories and we just got sad thinking they were gone."

"As long as they're remembered Kate, they're never really gone. A person lives as long as their memory, just look at Shakespeare, he's been gone about 600 years, but everyone knows who he is."

Kate thought about what Martha said and nodded her head. "My dad and I were talking about Christmas, and knowing that you and Rick go all out for it, I tried to prepare him for what may happen."

Kate looked over to Martha briefly and said, "He surprised me Martha. He said that perhaps since our families were merging we should add some of our old traditions to yours." She was silent for a few moments then said in a small voice, "I'd like that Martha. I'd like that a lot, to have my mother as part of our Christmas traditions."

Martha smiled and said, "Good, I think it's the right and proper thing to do, now that we're all becoming one family. It will be nice to have your mother part of us."

Kate didn't know what to say, and even if she did, she wouldn't have been able to. What Martha just said to her was probably the sweetest thing she'd ever heard from her, it went straight past her heart and into her soul. Months before, Martha told her that she considered Kate a daughter, and now, for the first time since she met her, Kate thought of Martha as a mother. A mother for _her_, and she knew her own mother was looking down with pride and love and gratitude for this woman who has adopted her daughter, who has welcomed her so whole-heartedly into her family and her life. For the rest of her life, Kate knew she would always love Martha for her words this afternoon.

While Kate was relishing the feelings Martha's words brought, Martha was looking out the window of the car and started to become concerned. After a few minutes, she cleared her throat and asked, "Kate, where are we going?"

Kate came out of her thoughts with a start and looked around. "Oh! We're almost there; I better find a place to park."

"Dear…where is 'there'?"

Kate laughed and said, "I'm sorry Martha, we're near Canal Street."

"Canal Street? Isn't that where they have all those phony perfumes, jewelry and such?"

"Yes, that's right."

As Kate found a place to park, Martha looked out the window with a look that combined curiosity with trepidation. She'd never been here before and heard lots of stories about how people were constantly being cheated or robbed by the stores and vendors on the street. "And why are we here Kate?"

"There's a store here Martha that has exactly what I want to get Rick for Christmas."

As they got out of the car and Kate started to lead the way, Martha asked her how she ever found the store that had Richard's present.

"I found it on the internet, but we actually worked a case a few doors down from the store a couple of years ago," Kate said. "It was maybe the fourth or fifth case that Rick ever worked with us and he really impressed us all with his knowledge of Vodou."

"Vodou? What's that?"

"Some people pronounce it 'Voodoo', but it all depends on where you practice it I guess."

"And my son knows all about Voodoo?"

"He was very helpful with the case. We never actually told him that though, back then he really was a pain in the butt." Kate smiled and added, "Yet even being a pain, he actually saved our lives on that one."

Martha looked at Kate with alarm, "Saved your lives? Kate, when the two of you argued over who saved the other more at dinner after the bank robbery, I thought you both were joking."

Kate gave Martha a sheepish grin and said, "Actually we _have _saved each other that many times. It's been…interesting to say the least."

Martha was about to respond when they turned the corner and she saw the crowds of people, hawkers and vendors on Canal Street. Without a second's hesitation she put her purse on her left arm and then put her arm through Kate's right. She may not have been here before, but she knew a shyster when she saw one, and in front of her was a whole street full of them.

Leaning into Kate she said, "I sure hope you know what you're doing kiddo, because I'm way out of my comfort zone here."

Kate laughed and held Martha close. "Don't worry Martha, the store is about a third of the way up the block," and she led Martha through the maze of people as if she'd been there all her life. Suddenly she stopped and looked across the street.

"What is it Kate?" Martha asked.

Kate smiled and said, "I saw that electronics store and the memory of when we were here last hit me." She looked to her right and said, "Do you see that steel garage type door there?"

"Yes."

"We had a crime scene there and were wondering what to do when Rick walked across the street to the electronics store. I followed him and asked what he was doing when he said, 'Look, I'm on TV' and then added, 'I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?' This gives you an idea of what we usually went through with Rick back then."

Martha was listening to Kate but she wasn't looking at the store, she was looking at Kate, and what she saw made her smile. Although Kate was telling her that Rick wasn't that easy to work with back then, the smile she had on her face told Martha that Kate was recalling all that happened back then with love.

Just then, a man started talking in front of them, offering them both the opportunity to buy genuine Rolex watches for only $29.99 each. Kate shook her head and she and Martha walked on a bit till they came to a store named, "They're already here."

"Here we are," said Kate and she led Martha into the shop.

From the outside, it was deceiving, Martha thought as she looked around the store. It was much bigger inside than she imagined, although she really couldn't see inside due to all the posters on the windows of extra terrestrials, space ships, Star Trek and other science fiction television shows. On the left wall past the door were racks of DVD's, at least seven feet high and going back about twenty five to thirty feet. Every space was filled with DVD's of movies, documentaries and television shows with or about aliens. There were shelves on the other wall, filled with books and Martha could not help but stare at some of the titles, "Alien Psychology", "Spotting the Hidden Alien", "The Alien Kama Sutra", which had a red warning label on it that said, "Not For Human Participation."

In the middle of the store, between the books and DVD's were racks of clothing, gear, mock space suits and models of alien spacecraft, some of which were already put together and hanging from the ceiling.

Kate didn't bother with any of that, she immediately walked to the back of the shop where a young man, who looked no more than nineteen or twenty, stood behind the counter reading a magazine. As Kate approached, he heard the click of her heels, looked up, immediately threw the magazine behind him, and tried to straighten his hair while standing as straight as possible.

Martha watched in amusement as Kate completely ignored what he was doing and said, "I called earlier about the Alien Detector."

The young man smiled and said, "Oh yes, wait here, I have them in the back," and went through a curtain covering a doorway behind the counter.

Martha came up to Kate and said, "You're looking for an Alien Detector for Richard? Doesn't he have something like that on his phone?"

"Yes he did," Kate said. "But he wasn't happy with it so he deleted it."

"Oh? Richard usually loves things like that."

"He loved it till he was showing Esposito and one of the uniforms his cool new Alien Detector App at a crime scene."

"He didn't!"

"Oh that wasn't so bad Martha, but when he showed Esposito how to use it, he pointed it at Rick and it went off."

Martha chuckled and said, "Oh no!"

Kate smiled back, "Oh yes. After that for the next week or so everyone was telling him he should phone home."

Martha laughed and said, "My son has always loved science and gadgets. I think the only reason he never became a scientist is because he was told by some teacher that inventing a death-ray was considered an impossibility."

Kate was about to respond when the clerk came back out with two boxes in his hand, opening one he showed it to Kate and said, "Now this is one of the newest Alien Detectors on the market, as you can see it's not that big." With a smile he added, "It can spot an alien or spaceship up to 500 feet."

Martha turned to Kate and said, "Wouldn't you be able to see a spacecraft if it was only 500 feet away?"

Without taking his eyes off the alien detector, the sales clerk said, "Not if they have a cloaking device."

Smiling at Martha's remark, Kate said, "It looks a lot like a flashlight."

"That's right! It's made especially to look like one so aliens won't know if you're searching for them."

"How does it work?"

Preparing to give it to Kate he said, "Point it at someone, press the blue button near the top here, and it gives you an alert." As he said this, he turned it on while it was pointed at Martha and it immediately starting emitting strobe effect lights from the tip and a loud screeching sound from a hidden speaker in the rear.

Yelling over the noise Kate said turn it off, which the young sales clerk did.

Still speaking loudly even though the noise had stopped, Kate asked, "Is that the alert?"

Looking a bit sheepish, and looking at Martha strangely, he answered, "Yes it was."

"Don't you think an alien would hear that?" Kate asked.

"Welllll, I guess they probably would."

"So what's the point of hiding it like a flashlight?"

Still giving Martha a strange look he answered Kate saying, "Uh, I guess it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Ya think?"

Martha piped up saying, "Young man, do not look at me like that. I'm an actress, not an alien."

His face clearing he said, "Oh! Sometimes it gets confused." Putting the flashlight looking device down, he picked up the other box while Kate wondered how an alien detector could confuse aliens with actresses.

The clerk opened the new box and pulled out an object that looked somewhat like an award or trophy made of clear acrylic. Knowing Alexis would want to know all about it, Martha studied the detector as it the clerk handed to Kate.

There were strange markings etched on it, and electronic components with LED lights inside. It was round, like a pipe, looked solid and was about three inches in width. It was flat on one end and cut at an angle on the other where the LED lights were. It stood about 6 inches tall at the short end of the angle and about two inches higher at the tall end.

Looking it over Kate said, "It looks like someone cut a round bar on an angle."

Giving it a wary glance Martha said, "Be careful not to turn in on Kate, I don't want something else here to get confused."

Turning to Martha the young man said, "Oh don't worry, this one is more subtle, it detects magnetic and electro-magnetic disturbances in the ether and emits a soft glow when those are detected."

Looking it over Kate asked, "What are all these markings on it?"

"Hmmm, from what I recall of my alien language course, I think they say 'we're your friends' in…" taking the detector from Kate's hand he turned it around and over before adding, "four alien languages I believe."

"Four?" Kate asked.

"Well I only took one language, what we'd call Orion but they call," and here he made some weird sounds with his mouth and tugged at his ear.

Kate just stared at him while Martha asked, "Why did you tug at your ear when you said that?"

"Because I can't wiggle them," he replied.

Deciding she didn't want to know Kate asked, "And this Orion language is on here?"

"Oh yes," he said, "It's this one here," pointing to a swirling script that reminded her of the elfish words written around Rick's red, leather bound copy of the Lord of the Rings.

When Kate said that, the young man gave a big smile and replied, "That's because Tolkien was an Orion, he came from the planet," and here he spoke another strange word and tugged his ear again.

"Why did he come here?" Martha asked, deciding if you can't understand them, just join them.

He shrugged and said, "No idea, but I'm glad he did, I love his books."

Deciding her day was weird enough without this information Kate asked, "Ok, how much is it?"

"They're on sale for Christmas, only $89.99, plus tax of course."

Martha turned to Kate and gave her a questioning look but Kate smiled and simply said, "Can you wrap it for me?"

Fifteen minutes later they were in the car on their way to Greenwich Village, to some little boutiques that Martha said had just the things Alexis wanted, while the Alien Detector, all wrapped up, was put away in the trunk.

After driving for a few minutes Martha asked, "Kate, did you ever read Lewis Carroll as a child?"

Kate grinned and said, "That was quite possibly the strangest conversation I've ever had."

Martha chuckled and said, "What worries me is that Richard would probably have understood the whole thing."

"I have no doubt about that Martha, he definitely would."

As Martha chuckled, Kate was thinking about her mother. How much she would have loved not just Rick, but also his entire family. Her dad already did. She made a mental note to herself that she would call him tonight, perhaps take a drive to his place and go through some of those Christmas decorations her mom used to love to put up.

For the first time in years, Kate was looking forward to Christmas.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: After a few interesting comments on how long chapter 20 was (I still think Bella's was the best of the shocked responses), I learned my lesson and this is two parts. ;-p **

**There is a lot I want to put here, because this is the first time Kate and Jim have celebrated Christmas since Johanna died. Hopefully I'll do it justice as I hadn't planned on doing one at all, but comments from my lovely bride, my family (both blood and Castle) and finally chezchuckles, tipped the scales and I decided to try. **

**Alien detectors exist as does the app, just check on line, after all we all know that anything we see on the internet is 100% true, right? ;-) However I made up the Alien Kama-Sutra…I hope. Really, I don't even wanna go there. The scene and memory of Canal St, is from season one's episode, "Always buy Retail." My oh my has he grown since then…and so has she. **


	23. Chapter 23,Something old,something new 2

Is Forever Possible

Chapter 23, Something old, something new, Part 2

by RGoodfellow64

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Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, if I did he wouldn't be acting like a jackass, he be back to simply his loving wiseass self.

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Semi-Authors Note: Knock, knock. How's there? RG. RG, who? Uh yeah, sorry. I know it's been a while, but this has been the worst case of writer's block I ever had. It is strongly suggested that you re-read chapter 22 (part 1) just to get back on track.

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Alexis and Kate sat on the couch in Kate's apartment looking at their computers and working on the official Castle website. Currently Kate was going over private messages sent to Rick. "Don't we want to flag this one Alexis?" Kate asked.

Alexis looked over and said, "No, she's harmless, just gets a little raunchy now and then."

"A _little_ raunchy? Alexis, this reads like cheap porn!"

"That's why her posts always come to us. But it's ok; she's a little old lady who lives in Caldwell, New Jersey."

Kate turned and looked at the young woman sitting next to her. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh no Kate, it's true, I'm not kidding. A few years ago, Dad had signings at Livingston and Paramus, New Jersey, and she showed up at both. When I saw her again at Paramus I asked why she came a second time and she told me what a fan she was and what her screen name was on Dad's site."

"And she wasn't embarrassed?"

Alexis shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's kinda freaky to have a 72 year old woman tell you your dad is smokin," Alexis said with a little shiver. Then she added, "And a little gross too since she made a play for him."

"Made a play for him?"

A little gleam appeared in Alexis' eye as she said in all seriousness, "Really, even wanted him to sign her chest."

"Really?" Kate practically squealed in delight. "That is just too funny, I'll have a lot of fun…" she turned to look at Alexis, eyes shining with laughter at something she could hold over Rick when she noticed the look in the girl's eyes. "Alexis Castle! You really had me thinking she did that!"

Alexis burst out laughing and after a while calmed down enough to say, "Ok, she didn't go that far, but it wasn't something I'd like to see again…she really did look a lot older and with all that pancake makeup on…" Alexis gave a shudder and nodded her head in agreement, as Kate deleted the e-mail.

Meanwhile, Kate shook her head and couldn't imagine what that was like as she watched the e-mail disappear from the screen. Then she turned back to Alexis and asked, "Think that I could talk Paula into never allowing your dad to go to New Jersey again?"

Alexis smiled and said, "Well if not, you can always go along with him to protect what's yours."

Kate laughed and said, "I don't think even Paula could keep that out of the papers, can you see it? Nikki Heat beats up old lady at Castle signing."

Alexis started to chuckle and said, "I don't know Kate, she _was_ pretty feisty. It would be even more embarrassing if the fight turned into a draw."

They both laughed at Alexis' comment and then in unison they said, "No more trips to New Jersey!"

They spent the next forty minutes working on the website and Alexis was happy to see that Kate was not only getting very good at monitoring the site, but also understood what they were doing behind the scenes. She was glad to know that when she did leave for college, Kate would be able to take some of the responsibilities of her dad's site off her hands, even though she would still be the primary administrator in charge of the site.

As she was thinking that, Kate spoke to her, "Alexis, we should change a couple of the graphics to the new ones that Lisa sent us. I think they'll make the homepage pop out at you when you log in."

Looking over at Kate's laptop Alexis nodded her head in agreement. "I agree, they really are great."

Kate turned to Alexis and said, "I'm constantly amazed at what she sends us, and she does it in her spare time."

"If she hadn't placed that first one on the board I never would have known about her, and now in less than a year she's made a huge impact on the site and the fans."

As Kate placed the new graphics on the page she said, "Even though I don't really care for the publicity, I really like that montage of photos she put together of Rick and I for the personal info page." She paused briefly then looked at Alexis with a smile to add, "I'm not even going to ask where she got all those photos, Alexis."

"Oh good, that way I won't need to prevaricate when answering," Alexis said.

Kate leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "You certainly are your fathers daughter," then they both smiled at each other before turning back to work on the webpage.

As usual after they finished their time on the Castle home page, Kate and Alexis looked at wedding gowns on line. For the past few months they would take some time to do this and as of yet, still hadn't found the gown that Kate wanted.

They were looking at one that came close to Kate's idea of the perfect gown when Alexis asked a question.

"When you and Dad get married, are you going to change your name or remain Det. Beckett?"

"Outside of the precinct I'd have the name Castle, but really, I'm not sure Alexis." Kate paused a moment and added, "I mean, I'm sure I'd keep my own name as a Detective, I worked hard for my reputation, but sometimes when I'm thinking about it I'm not sure I'd stay in the force."

"What? Why? You do such good work and what you do is so important…"

Kate interrupted, saying, "What I do _is_ important, but…"

"But?"

"But, you and your dad are important too, and there is always the possibility of something bad happening to me. That's never bothered me before, but now it's got me torn and confused."

The same crease in the forehead that Rick gets when he's puzzled appeared on Alexis and she asked, "Confused?"

Kate thought a moment then said, "Since I became a police officer no boyfriend…well, really no relationship I've had has ever been more important to me than my work."

Kate paused and Alexis said, "Yes?"

Kate turned and looked into Alexis' eyes and said, "Until your dad."

"Until my dad?"

Kate nodded and said, "Yeah, when your dad came into my life everything changed."

As Kate sat there remembering when she pulled him from the Storm Fall party, Alexis was thinking and finally asked in a soft voice, "Kate? May I ask you a question?"

Pulled from her memories Kate smiled and said, "Of course you can sweetie, what is it?"

Feeling a bit flustered Alexis said, "I'm not sure how to…I mean it's not an easy thing to…what I want to ask isn't…"

Kate put her hand on Alexis' arm and said, "Take a couple of deep breaths and then just let it out."

"Ok," Alexis said, and after two deep breaths said, "You and my dad worked together over two years before you dated. Why did it take so long?"

Seeing the surprised look on Kate's face, Alexis continued speaking, her words rushing out. "I don't mean it like that, I just wonder, since you talk about Dad being so important to you yet there were those two summers you guys didn't speak to each other and you dated that Shlemming guy and then Dad stupidly hooked back up with Gina and when he got back you were dating that doctor guy."

Kate tried to speak but only got out the sound, "Um" before Alexis continued.

"I don't mean to say you couldn't date someone you wanted to I mean…I'm not sure what I mean Kate, but I just wonder…wasn't he good enough then?"

"What?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Maybe that's not the right way to put it, but why did you guys take so long?"

Kate leaned back on the couch and thought for a moment before speaking. "Wow, Alexis, this is…it's not quite what I imagined when you said you had a question. But I'll answer as honestly as I can."

Alexis sat back on the couch, turned toward Kate and putting her elbow on the back cushion and her head on her hand, she said, "Ok."

"First off, regardless of any relationships I had prior to your dad or since I've known him, he was _never_ not good enough, if anything _I_ wasn't." Alexis definitely heard the emphasis on the words 'never' and 'I', watching as Kate got up from the couch and walked to her bookcase. She moved a couple of books and pulled one out from behind the others, bringing it with her to the couch as she sat down again.

She handed the book to Alexis and said, "Read the dedication."

Alexis took the worn copy of 'In a Hail of Bullets' and opened the front cover to see her dad's signature. She noticed right away it wasn't the usual autograph he gave when signing books, this was his real signature. She looked above his name to read what he wrote. 'To shy Kate with the beautiful smile. One day I hope it reaches your eyes.'

As Alexis looked at the words, Kate said, "I stood in line for over an hour for him to sign my book. I had just started dating Will and he thought I was crazy, but your dad and his books meant so much to me."

Looking puzzled, Alexis handed the book back to Kate, who held it like it was something very precious.

"For a long time after my mother died I was dead as well. Inside, the person I used to be vanished, and I just existed. Your dad's books helped me come out of the depression I was in, and for that alone I will always love him."

"They did?"

"His words Alexis, he's like no other writer I've ever read, because his words alone can paint emotions, can paint _my_ emotions, and he always led me to a better place." Kate paused a moment then added, "Long before I ever met the man I fell in love with his words."

"So why did it take over two years?"

Kate smiled at Alexis and said, "When I met him at the Storm Fall party he was pretty much a wise ass, and he kept it up all the time we worked on that first case together. Yet even then, there was something about the way he looked at the case that attracted me."

Kate's eyes gleamed as she said, "Of course it didn't help that he is as ruggedly handsome as he always said he was," which brought a grin out on Alexis' face as well.

"From that very first case there was a spark, something between us. I knew he was attracted to me but I thought it was in the one night stand sort of way, and he pretty much acted like that was the reason he flirted with me, but every now and then he…"

Alexis was eating this up as if it was the most delicious dessert she'd ever had. She knew a lot about their relationship from her dad's perspective, but to hear it from Kate's just made her feel like she was secretly looking into the window of their lives, and she was part of it.

"He what, Kate?" Alexis asked.

"He showed a glimpse of something real, something solid, something not belonging to the playboy on page six, and every time I saw that, I found myself drawn to that man, not the playboy."

"You saw my dad you mean, not the personae he'd put on."

"Yeah, I was attracted to Castle the dad and Castle the son and occasionally Castle the help on cases, but far too often Castle the playboy came out, and I didn't trust him enough to open my heart."

As Kate paused a moment Alexis was thrilled that even as far back as that first year, Kate had seen the real Richard Castle, her dad. "What changed?"

"At first, I still thought he was only in it for the thrill, for whatever he could get out of it, and when he looked into my mother's case behind my back I told him we were finished and walked away. That was the first summer and it wasn't till he truly apologized to me that fall that I let him back…that I felt I _could_ let him back."

"He was sad that summer, not quite himself, although he did try to be for me."

"Well I guess something changed in him because he became more solid, he started to truly care for the victims and was becoming a big help to the team. He was turning into a partner…my partner, and I saw more of the man that attracted me. I saw more of that every day and even more so after my apartment blew up."

"I really thought the two of you were on the same page then, especially after you stayed with us for those first few days, but then suddenly you weren't."

"I was feeling closer to your dad all the time and then he slept with that actress who was only using him to get a part in the Nikki Heat movie."

"Ahh, Elle Monroe," Alexis said sadly.

Kate looked down at her hand and softly said, "Yeah. Anyway it brought back all the fears that I had earlier that he was really a playboy and only wanted one thing from me, and when a nice guy came along and asked me out, I accepted."

"Schlemming?"

"Huh? Alexis, who is Schlemming?"

"He's a bumbling detective character that dad suddenly put in 'Naked Heat' and only finally removed when I complained about him."

"Oh, I never knew about that," Kate said.

Alexis shrugged and said, "The character never made it past Dad's rough drafts, he just never seemed to fit." She paused a moment and looked at Kate, then asked, "Schlemming?"

Kate shook her head, "Not Schlemming, Alexis, Demming. Tom Demming, Robbery detective. We met him on a case and he was a nice guy, good looking and he seemed sincere, so when he asked me out I said yes."

"Because Dad slept with the actress."

Kate was about to quickly say no but thought about it for a bit before finally acknowledging what Alexis said. "I guess so Alexis. I was tired of being alone and felt that your dad would just up and leave one day, so I dated Tom."

Alexis was thinking while Kate spoke and said, "You say he's in Robbery?" When Kate nodded her head yes, Alexis continued, "I think I met him once when Dad and I went out for a coffee across the street from the precinct. Kinda tall, dark hair, blue eyes and no lips, right?"

'Why does everyone say that?' Kate thought to herself when Alexis spoke, but then thinking about the few times they kissed she realized that they probably had a point.

"Ahh, yes, I guess that was Tom. He was a nice guy and even though I didn't feel the same spark I did with your dad, he felt safe, so when he asked me to go to the beach with him for Memorial Day weekend, I agreed."

"And then came Gina."

Still feeling the shame of lying to him Kate blushed and said, "Not right away. Rick asked me to the Hamptons since you were going to Princeton and Martha was on tour, and I lied to him."

"You lied?"

"I told him I had to work, but Tom came by and talked about the beach house when your dad was there and he caught me in the lie. I gave him some lame excuse about Tom and I being together and that's when he told me that it would be his last case."

Alexis didn't say anything, just sat and waited for Kate to continue. "I realized that I wanted your dad in my life more than I wanted Tom and I broke up with Tom and was going to tell your dad I wanted to go with him but then Gina showed up and they walked away with their arms around each other."

Alexis saw the emotions flow across Kate's face and realized how devastating this was for her. She'd finally decided to open up and trust her dad and he walked away with Gina. Everyone knew that had been a mistake and a war waiting to happen, but he went with her anyway.

Looking at Kate's sad face Alexis said, "He didn't have the greatest summer either you know, Kate. Gina was only there for the weekend and then dad was alone almost the whole summer till I came in late August."

Kate smiled at Alexis and said, "Well he never called me and I never called him. I guess we both felt we'd be interrupting something, and all the time we were both sitting alone."

"When did you start dating the doctor?"

"Not till a few weeks after your dad came back and started working with us again. Your dad had Gina and I was alone, and Josh was tall, good looking and we were both very busy people, so I didn't need to worry that he'd always be around. From the very beginning I had one foot out the door."

"And then?"

"And then your dad broke up with Gina and I got sick of Josh suddenly deciding that he was going away for a few weeks for Doctors Without Borders. Don't get me wrong, it was a good thing he was doing, but I'd be making plans for a date and he'd tell me he was going away. We never discussed it before he accepted the assignments; I only knew he was going a few days before he left. Even in a relationship with one foot out the door that's pushing things too far and I called it quits."

Alexis stared at Kate and suddenly Kate felt as if she was a child speaking to her parent, somehow Alexis knew that wasn't the whole story. After a few seconds of fidgeting under Alexis' eyes she added, "Well, that's not quite all. When your dad broke up with Gina, I was thrilled. I really wanted to give it a shot again. We were so in sync, and he was always there, always beside me, always having my back. Your dad was the main reason I ended things with Josh. I really, really wanted to try."

Alexis smiled and said, "So really, you both weren't good enough yet for each other, you had to get there."

Kate looked at Alexis and asked, "Are you sure you're really only eighteen?"

Alexis grinned and said, "Positive. I've just had more opportunity to raise my parent than most kids my age."

Kate smiled and said, "I have another hour or so before I leave for my dad's place, let's check a few more gowns on line."

With big smiles on their faces they clicked on another site and suddenly Kate gasped…she'd found the perfect gown, and the store was here in NY City.

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She couldn't stop thinking about that wedding gown. All the way to her dad's place, she thought about how she would look in it and what Rick's reaction would be. With all the emotions this past year had produced, seeing this gown brought up more clearly than almost anything before just how much she missed her mom, which put Kate in an already heightened emotional state when she arrived at her dad's place.

Although they were each in their own thoughts, Kate knew that this time spent with her father was different from any before. They were sitting on the couch at his apartment going through boxes of Christmas decorations and old cards that her mother kept.

Currently she was holding a bright red stocking with white lettering on it, which spelled Katie. Although a wonderful lawyer, great cook and terrific parent, one thing her mother wasn't was a seamstress. Yet the year Kate was born she sat down at a sewing machine and made three stockings, Mom, Dad and Katie. Sitting next to her, her father was holding the one that said Mom.

"She spent hours trying to sew these. In all the years I knew her, this was the only time she was so frustrated that I couldn't cheer her up." Holding up the stocking he looked at Kate and said, "They had to be perfect for her little girl."

Kate's fingers gently glided over the Christmas stocking and she felt the tears behind her eyes. Over the years whenever memories would tend to overcome them, they usually changed the subject, and quickly ended their visit, both too caught up in their own memories to share, to show their emotion, their pain and their joy in Johanna Beckett.

But today, although filled with tears, was a healing time for both, because today they were _celebrating_ their wife and mother, remembering when she was alive and all that she meant to them. Today their tears were shared, and Kate felt closer to her father than ever before.

She had to relearn what family meant, what family was, what family did for you, and Jim Beckett knew he would be forever grateful to Rick for helping his little girl find her way home.

"Every Christmas morning this stocking was hanging on my bedroom doorknob, and it was filled with such small, simple gifts, but they all meant something to me."

'Jo spent months finding just the right things for your stocking, there were a few Decembers that she started finding them right after Christmas."

"I wish you hadn't sold the house Daddy, but I understand why you did. I know I couldn't stay there after…after she was gone."

Jim put down the stocking that was in his hand and reached out for Kate. Taking her hand in his he said, "The house was haunted after that Katie, so many memories that mocked me everywhere I looked. But even though I sold the house, I couldn't lose the memories, the things that gave her pleasure on the holidays."

He lifted his eyes and looked into hers, seeing his reflection in the tears forming and said, "I knew that one day you'd want them for your own family, that you would want to pass on these traditions, to share your mother with your husband and children. So I packed them away as carefully as I could and held them for when you were ready."

He touched the stocking in her hand and said, "See that little lift at the end of your name? I can still hear Jo yelling at the sewing machine for that. It was Christmas Eve and she had no more time to work on it, so it stayed."

He chuckled and said, "I tried to remind her that you weren't even a year old and wouldn't mind, but she wouldn't listen. It wasn't perfect for her baby."

Kate looked up at her dad and saw tears forming in his eyes as he said, "Oh God she loved you so much, so very, very much." And that was all it took before the tears fell for both. Unlike before though, these tears helped to heal, because both knew in their hearts and souls that Jo still loved Kate, and always would, no matter where she was, and the love for Jim would surpass time, as Johanna always said it would.

They held each other as the tears fell, healing just a little more, reliving the joy that Johanna brought into their lives, and being reminded that while they still remembered her, she was always with them.

After a while, Kate sniffed and with her arm around her dad softly said, "Remember that Christmas when I was seven? You went downstairs first and made me sit waiting for almost an hour before I could come down and look at the tree."

Jim laughed and replied, "We'd been telling you for years that we had to go down to make sure Santa didn't forget any elves, just so I could get a photo of you when you first saw the tree."

"Why did you make me wait?"

"Couldn't find the camera. I looked all over and since your mother was upstairs with you I couldn't very well ask her." He turned to his daughter who was laughing and said, "Hey! It's not funny! You try keeping a seven year old from getting her Christmas presents, it isn't easy."

Giving him a squeeze Kate said, "Oh Dad, I love you."

He put his arm around Kate as she put her head on his shoulder, "After your fourth birthday your mom had to stay up there with you or else you'd come down before I was ready to take your photo."

Kate picked up a photo album, laid it between them on both their laps and opened it. A few pages in she saw herself at five with a look of wonder on her face and her mother behind her with a smile that was brighter than her dad's flash. "How many years did you do this?"

"Right up to when you left for college. Even when you stopped believing in Santa Clause, we wanted the look on your face when you first saw the tree."

"I can't believe you and mom managed to hide the tree till you put it up on Christmas Eve, after I'd gone to sleep."

"Not just the tree, all the Christmas decorations other than the candles in the windows. There was nothing in the house that looked like Christmas till you woke up on Christmas day."

"And what time did you finally get to sleep?"

Touching the tip of her nose with his finger Jim said, "Usually we fell asleep around 4 or 4:30, though one Christmas we had just finished when you woke up…boy was _that_ a long day!"

Kate kept turning the pages of the album when Jim said, "Hey! Look at that one," and they both smiled at a six-year-old Kate Beckett, with her hair in braids, twirling around in front of the Christmas tree with her new doll.

Later that night, after spending hours going through memories and mementos, Kate drove back to her apartment exhausted but elated, she and her dad had crossed what had once been a huge chasm in their lives, they were moving on, not forgetting Johanna, but embracing her all over again. From now on, even though they missed her terribly, they were going to celebrate the fact that they had a woman like that in their lives for as long as they did.

The visions of the dead woman in the ally will always remain, but they were pushed aside with the loving memories of Johanna in life. Thinking this, Kate took out her mother's ring from under her blouse with her left hand, and held it for a while. Suddenly it clinked against her engagement ring and she felt a sense of peace, of approval, of happiness that she was living again.

Tucking the ring back inside her blouse Kate whispered, "I love you mom, and I miss you too," then looking at her engagement ring she said, "And I love you Rick, more than I can ever say."

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A few days later Kate sat at her desk with paperwork piled up in front of her when she heard, "Castle's not having a Christmas party?"

Kate looked up from her desk to see Esposito standing in front of her, and looking at her with a questioning expression. Without answering the question, she asked him, "Where's Ryan?"

Shaking his head slightly he said, "Jenny called, some emergency with the reservations or tables or something."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he's in the break room now trying to calm her down. Isn't making Karpowski happy, she wants some coffee."

"Why doesn't she just go in and get it?"

Esposito shrugged his shoulders and said, "He's got the door closed." Sighing he added, "Whipped, the man is whipped."

Kate glared at him and he suddenly swallowed and said, "I have something I need to take care of on my desk…I'll just head back over there," and he slowly moved away from her desk and then quick stepped over to his.

As he sat down Kate smiled and said, "Hey Esposito?"

Looking up at her he said, "Yeah?"

"Nope."

With a puzzled look on his face he said, "Nope what?"

"No party for Christmas. Just family."

"Oh, ok."

"But you'll be there for New Years."

"Huh? I will?"

Kate smiled and said, "Yes you will. Lanie already accepted for you both."

Esposito's face cleared and he said, "Oh, alright. Yeah, we'll be there," then turned back to the paperwork on his desk.

Smiling, Kate put her own head down, and softly said to herself, "And you say Ryan is the one who's whipped?"

A few minutes later Ryan walked up to Kate and said, "Jenny wants me to tell you we'll be there on New Years."

Kate smiled and said, "Tell her I said thanks for getting back to me so quickly. This is pretty much a spur of the moment thing but you know how Rick is."

Ryan nodded his head and was about to leave when Kate asked, "Everything ok with the wedding plans? Esposito wasn't sure if it was the invitations or tables."

Shaking his head Ryan looked over at Esposito and rolled his eyes, surprising Kate that he did it so well. "Nah, it wasn't any of those, her mother wanted us to change the wine selection…"

Esposito interrupted and said, "So nothing major then bro."

Kate looked at Esposito and smiled. "When a woman is setting up her wedding, _everything_ is an emergency."

Esposito looked surprised and asked, "Really? And is that how you're going to be for your wedding?"

Shrugging her shoulders Kate said, "Don't know, we haven't set a date yet."

Returning to his desk Ryan said, "You haven't? Well don't wait too long, the best halls book up fast!"

Kate waved her hand and looked back to her paperwork but she heard Esposito when he whispered to Ryan, "Bro, if Jenny is that bad can you imagine what a stressed out Beckett will be like?"

Ryan looked up and whispered back, "I don't know about you, but I'll be taking a leave of absence…for how ever many months it takes."

As the two got back to their work, Kate's mind was elsewhere. Instead of looking at the paperwork in front of her, her mind was thinking about weddings, hers in particular. She already knew where she wanted it held, and she knew she wanted it small, intimate, just family and those people who really cared about them in attendance. And now she even knew what dress she wanted. All those days when she and Alexis were alone to work on the Castle website, they always spent time on line looking at wedding gowns. Alexis was positively thrilled to be part of this process, even though there wasn't a date yet. Little things like that made Kate all the more special in Alexis' eyes.

She was still thinking about this when a coffee cup appeared in front of her. She hadn't even heard him come into the bullpen; she was so deep in thought.

"Must be thinking about me again," Rick said as he sat down in his chair.

Looking up Kate smiled and took a sip of her coffee. "Thanks," she said as she put the cup down, "And what makes you say I was thinking of you?" she asked. Waving her hand in front of her she said, "See all this paperwork on my desk?"

Taking a sip of his own coffee Rick answered, "Ah, but being around detectives for as long as I have, and shadowing the best in the city, I believe I've picked up some skill in detecting."

Holding back a smile Kate asked, "Detecting?"

"Give me a second and I'll think of a better word, but for now I'll use detecting."

"Ok, so what are you good at detecting," Kate asked.

With a smirk and twinkle in his eye Rick said, "You. I have probably become the world's leading expert in Beckettese."

"Beckettese?"

"Yes, like legalese, this is Beckettese, the language of Beckett."

Shaking her head Kate said, "You know, right now I'm sorry I asked."

"Ah! But it gets better!" Rick said.

"I was afraid you were going to say that," Kate replied. Then leaning back in her chair she waved her hand at him and said, "Go ahead Rick."

All enthused, Rick sat up straight in his chair and said, "When you're involved in your paperwork, there is a slight crease between your eyes. Not much, but it's there."

"If you say so."

"It's a fact my dear detective, now when you're thinking of me, you have the cutest crease between your eyes, deeper than when you do paperwork or are involved in a case, but still cute as a button."

Shaking her head at him she said, "So?"

"Sooo, when you're thinking of me and it's something really deep, like aliens, ninja's or the CIA, your crease turns into two smaller ones." He sat back in his chair as if he'd made the most profound statement when Kate asked, "CIA, ninjas or aliens?"

He was about to respond when Esposito yelled out, "Hey Castle! Phone home!"

As Esposito and Ryan laughed, Kate smiled after seeing the look on Rick's face. It was times like this, with that look she adored, she fell in love with him all over again.

Deciding it was useless to fight back Rick took another sip of his coffee and said, "Anyway, you were thinking of me."

Leaning forward Kate chuckled and still smiling patted his hand saying, "Good thoughts Rick, only good thoughts."

The laughter was broken when Ryan's phone rang. "Ryan. Oh, hi honey. Yes I have a minute, what do you need?" As Ryan got up from his chair and headed to the breakroom, Esposito looked over to Kate and said, "I hope Karpowski already got her coffee, this may be a long one."

A few minutes after Ryan entered the breakroom they got a case and all headed out, Esposito called Ryan out of the breakroom to the silent cheers of the officers in the bullpen who were longing for some of 'Castle's Coffee.' Three hours later, however, the team was back in the precinct and Rick had a dejected look on his face.

Kate looked up from her paperwork and said, "They can't all be long and drawn out cases Rick, and sometimes what looks like a murder turns out not to be one."

He shook his head and said, "I had such hopes for it the minute I saw the crime scene…well accident scene."

Kate looked up and saw Esposito standing behind Rick with a smile on his face. It showed her once again how Rick was considered one of them, one of the 12th Precinct, and it made her feel proud not only of Rick, but of the officers of the 12th that they appreciated Richard Castle, and they considered him one of their own.

Esposito nudged Castle's shoulder and said, "Hey bro, cheer up. There'll be other really weird cases that will actually be murders."

Kate gave Esposito an odd look and he shrugged his shoulders back to her as Rick sighed and said, "Yeah I know, but come on, his elves killing Santa by throwing him on Rudolph's antlers? That would be a classic!"

Kate smiled at that and said, "Yeah, it's too bad he simply got drunk and fell off the second floor landing onto the antlers."

Rick paused a moment and then said, "Are we sure it was an accident Kate, I mean really?"

Esposito said, "Sorry bro, security footage confirmed it."

Rick shook his head and said, "Yeah but, he went over the railing right?"

Esposito gave him a puzzled look and said, "Right."

"The railing's on top of a solid wall though, isn't it?"

Ryan came up to join the conversation and said, "Yeah…"

A huge smile came on his face as Rick said, "Well there you go!"

"There I go what?" Esposito asked.

Rick looked back at Esposito and said, "Elves are small! You can't see them in the footage because they're shorter than the wall!"

Kate shook her head and said, "Rick, all his helper elves were teenage girls between sixteen and seventeen years old, working for Christmas money." She paused a moment and added, "And the solid part of the wall is only eighteen inches tall."

He shook his head and said, "Not the pretend elves Kate, the _real_ elves! They're small!"

She looked at him for a few seconds, her mouth hanging open, not sure what to say to that. Finally, she closed her mouth, shook her head and said, "I'm going to get a water," then got up from her chair and rushed out of the bullpen.

Esposito gave him a weird look and said, "Real elves Castle? There's no such thing as real elves."

"That's what you think! They found the skeletons of Hobbit sized humans on an island a few years ago…" he paused for a moment and added, "In Indonesia I think."

As Esposito and Ryan looked at Castle, he said with even more enthusiasm, "Ryan, can you get a copy of the security footage?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem, why?"

"We have to look at it closely, see if there are any little red hats that may just be seen over the solid wall."

Ryan looked at Castle and said, "Uh, I guess I could…"

Esposito turned to say something to Ryan when his phone rang again. Putting up his index finger for Esposito to hold a minute, Ryan answered his phone. "Ryan…oh, hi Jenny. Sure, let me get a paper and pencil…"

Esposito shook his head at Ryan, looked back at Castle and said, "No such thing as elves bro, it was just an accident." He turned to go back to his desk and heard Castle say to himself, "It could have been the best case ever…_ever_!"

Kate came back, sat down in her chair and quietly said, "Did that on purpose, didn't you?"

Rick looked at her, smiled and said, "Yeah, it lightened the mood around here, didn't it?"

Kate's eyes were smiling back at him as she said, "Oh yeah, Perkins was walking in to get a soda when I was heading back and was chuckling over the case."

"Good. Everyone is a little on edge because of the holidays coming up and I thought it would help." He thought a moment and stated, "You know, I really like the elf story better. I'm going to stick with that."

Kate was about to say something to that when Ryan walked up and asked, "Hey Castle, you know a lot about wines, don't you?"

Rick looked up and said, "Yes, as a matter of fact I d…"

With his phone glued to his ear, Ryan grabbed Rick with his other hand and pulled him along to the breakroom saying, "Great! We have a little problem…"

Esposito watched as they entered the break room and Ryan closed the door. He sighed and turned to Beckett, saying, "Guess I'll be eating at my desk."

Kate smiled and replied, "Eating what? The food's in the break room."

Esposito's mouth opened in shock and he turned to look into the breakroom. He saw Ryan still on the phone walking back and forth, with Castle sitting in a chair watching him go from side to side as if it were a tennis match.

Sighing he turned to Kate and said, "I'm ordering Chinese, want any?"

Kate nodded her head and said, "Good idea, let's look at the menu."

.

.

"Are you sure you never offered to help?" Kate asked.

"Positive, but somehow I'm in charge of selecting the wine."

Shaking her head Kate said, "I don't know Rick, sometimes things hit you from left field and you usually agree just to say something when you haven't been listening."

"I never do that."

Kate just looked back at him and raised one eyebrow.

"I never do that…do I?"

Smiling, Kate started to answer when suddenly she heard the O'Jays sing 'Moneymoneymoneymoney, money!' from her phone.

"Been changing my ring tones I see."

Rick smiled and said, "Only a couple, your's were boring."

As the song played again she picked up the phone and looked at the name, "Chris?"

"Yes, I added him to your list."

Pressing the green icon on her phone Kate put it to her ear and said, "Hello. Oh, hi Chris, are you looking for Rick?"

Rick didn't hear Chris's part of the conversation, just some mumbled words when Kate said, "Me? Ooookay." Kate looked at Rick and mouthed 'What?' to him as Chris was speaking.

There were some more mumbled words on the phone and Kate looked at Rick and raised her eyebrow. "You don't say, Rick did that?" she asked. Then with a quieter tone of voice she asked, "What else did he suggest?"

While Kate was talking to Chris, Rick proceeded to raise one eyebrow and then the other, making it seems like his forehead was covered with jumping eyebrows.

Kate gave him one of those looks that could make Ryan cower in fear and Rick just smiled and threw her a kiss, which brought a smile to her face. Then he picked up the sticky pad on her desk and furiously started writing.

He handed Kate the first sticky which read, 'She's so cute, you know it's true,'

Then he handed her a second sticky, 'There's not a thing I wouldn't do,'

She rolled her eyes as he handed her the third, 'For Katie, Katie, she's my girl,'

She finally smiled at the last one, 'Prettiest in the whole wide world!'

She shook her head and gave him a wink then listened to Chris for another minute before hanging up the phone. "You weren't kidding about writing bad teenage love poems, were you?"

Rick winked and said, "Is it ok for me to get you a coffee, or will you need something stronger?"

Kate shook her head and said, "I'm going to need more time but right now I think that all you'll need to get is the coffee."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. I think this is sweet, over the top, way too fast, not what I thought I was getting into when I called you that Friday night but…really sweet."

Rick sighed and said, "Oh good. I was worried when I heard him call that you might want to kill me."

Kate pursed her lips and thought a moment before saying, "Hmmm, maybe when I'm finally sitting in front of all those papers I'll need to sign to be joint on your accounts, with my hand cramping up from the many times I write my name, and watching you smile as it happens. But right now? Right now it's kinda sweet."

With a smile on his face Rick said, "You know Kate, I've always been pretty good at 'sweet'."

When Esposito heard that, he raised his head just in time to see Beckett smile, get up and lightly stroke Castle's face with her hand. He had just put his head back down working on his paperwork when he heard Castle yell, "Apples! Apples!"

.

.

As they were getting ready to leave that evening Rick asked, "Do you want to get a hot chocolate?"

"Mmmm," Kate replied, "A hot chocolate on a December evening walking with a ruggedly handsome guy? What woman could ever refuse that?"

Preening himself while he held her coat, Rick said, "True, true. I can't imagine how hard it was for you all those years reigning yourself in and not simply throwing yourself at me."

As he assisted her in putting on her coat, Kate looked over her shoulder and gave him a smoldering look, which pretty much stopped him from talking as she caught his eyes and held them. After just a few seconds, she said with a silky voice, "Now why would I need to do that Rick, when I've always had you just where I want you."

Then before he could form a coherent sentence in response, she walked to the elevator as if nothing had just happened.

Shaking his head and coming back to earth, Rick hurried to catch up to her and as they entered the elevator he quietly said, "Oh you evil woman! One day Kate, one day…"

Kate smiled and merely pressed the button, sending the elevator to the ground floor. As they walked out of the precinct towards the coffee shop, Rick started to grumble.

With her arm interlocked with his, Kate could actually feel the grumbles from deep within his chest and finally asked, "What's bothering you?"

"Is this or is this not December 22nd?" he asked.

"Yes, it is. Why?"

"Is this or is this not supposed to be winter?"

"Are you going to speak in questions all night?"

"Kate."

"Ok, ok, yes Rick, it is indeed supposed to be winter. There, is that better?"

Hearing the smile in her voice, Rick looked at her and couldn't help but chuckle at the light shining from her eyes. "Ok, it was a bit melodramatic…"

Kate raised her eyebrow and said, "A bit? Your mother would be so proud of you right now."

"My mother is proud of me all the time…well, most of the time, but look around you Kate, see any snow?"

Without looking around Kate answered, "Nope."

"Nope is right! Kate, this is just wrong. It's after 6pm, and it's still almost 50 degrees out!" He shook his head again and said, "It's supposed to be winter, there should be snow and snowmen."

Hiding a grin Kate said, "You mean it's wrong for 'a winters day in a deep and dark December', don't you?"

He immediately stopped walking and stared at her. It happened so quickly that she didn't even know he'd stopped till she felt her arm being pulled as she continued to walk past him. Turning around she looked and saw an amazed and delighted smile appear on his face.

He pulled her towards him and gave her a hug, then whispered in her ear, "Katherine Beckett, you are a constant surprise to me. However did I get so lucky to have you come into my life?"

Kate kissed his cheek and pulled back from the hug. Grinning up at him she said, "I channel my inner Paul Simon and you turn into a marshmallow, huh?"

Trying to regain his cool, Castle simply said, "Um."

Kate's grin became wicked as she leaned closer to nibble his earlobe. When she knew she had his complete attention she said, "Would you like me to channel my inner Maria Muldaur tonight?"

The moment she said that, the song 'Midnight at the Oasis' started running through his head. She knew that would happen and gave a throaty chuckle before adding, "It's too warm for hot chocolate, got any other ideas?"

She doubted a stopwatch could have measured the amount of time it took for Rick to raise his arm and yell, "Taxi!"

.

.

As Rick was attempting to flag down a taxi, across town, a business dinner was taking place. Rick's agent Paula was meeting with his publisher and ex-wife Gina in a secluded corner of an upscale restaurant, one of those places where high-powered people gather to make and break deals, and no one is the wiser.

"This whole engagement thing keeping him out of the papers is hurting sales," Gina said.

Paula looked up at Gina and smiled. "You're his publisher and you don't bother to look at the numbers?" she asked.

Annoyed, Gina answered, "I read them, and this is hurting sales."

"Gina, I've been with Rick since his second book. He had three best sellers under his belt when he married Meredith and had Alexis, and his sales never went down. After their divorce and the whole 'playboy author' routine he decided to pursue, the sales increased only marginally."

"That's not true Paula; it was a big enough increase to offer him a larger contract."

Paula grinned and said, "The fact that the final book in his previous contract was the second Derrick Storm novel and sold over seven million copies in hardcover alone had nothing to do with the larger contract?"

Gina couldn't answer that, as the two women were the ones who negotiated that contract. They both knew that Paula was correct.

Their entrée's having arrived, the two women started eating, composing themselves for the business to follow. Every now and then Paula would lift her eyes and take another look at Gina, aware that she would do her best to make the most advantageous deal for Blackpawn as possible. Paula knew she'd be working just as hard, if not harder for Rick. Without any outward show of emotion, Paula enjoyed the anticipation of forcing Blackpawn to meet Rick's demands. His way or the highway and Paula knew that Gina was not going to like it.

Gina was attempting to recall all the tells that Paula had, trying to line her arguments up in a row to use and counter use them in their discussion. She knew that Paula was going to go for the jugular in these contract negotiations, mostly due to herself, and the fact that she married Rick for the express purpose of controlling his career. From Gina's viewpoint, the marriage was strictly business at first, although she did try to get to know Alexis during their brief time together. She didn't try hard enough though, and Alexis, although polite and friendly, never really cared for her.

Meanwhile Paula was also reminding herself how Gina had married Rick and talked him into accepting a contract that was more advantageous to Blackpawn, and less so for him and Alexis. Gina had told him that since they were married, even though Blackpawn got more profit, it would still be his because they were married. She even used saving on taxes in the mix of reasons why he should accept it. In the end, he sided with his wife and not his agent and lost millions of dollars in income, money it took years to recoup. Luckily, he had a pre-nuptial agreement with Gina or she'd have taken more from him during their divorce.

As they finished their meal and ordered coffee, Paula and Gina continued their discussion.

"Paula, Blackpawn is not prepared to offer Rick as much for this next contract as they did for the initial three Nikki Heat books. His numbers simply don't justify keeping the same contract value, let alone adding to it."

Paula took a sip of her coffee and smiled. It was the smile that many in the publishing business had seen, and never wanted directed their way. Rick had told her once it reminded him of a shark just before a feeding frenzy, and Gina had only a few seconds to look at it before Paula spoke.

"I have a number here on this piece of paper; it's 10% more than the latest offer from another publishing house. That's what you will have to meet in order to keep Richard Castle for four more books."

Paula handed the folded piece of paper to Gina who looked at it and actually started to sputter. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh I'm very serious Gina. I know your tricks and you can't work them on him anymore. If you think I'm overly protective of Rick, you haven't seen Kate in action."

"Kate?"

"Detective Beckett, his fiancée. Remember her?"

Trying to regain the upper hand Gina said, "Of course I remember her! She's the reason we could never begin to entertain this ridiculous amount!"

"Really. I guess you haven't bothered to keep up with the demand for Rick's books from your own publishing house then, have you?"

Gina said nothing but sipped her coffee, trying to regain her balance in the negotiations.

"Well let me tell you Gina, there is a lot going on in the Richard Castle universe, some of which has nothing to do with Blackpawn."

"Such as?" Gina asked.

"Such as Blackpawn refusing to re-issue the Derrick Storm series."

"That was our prerogative."

"True, but then according to the contract all rights reverted back to Rick and you should know that the second Derrick Storm Graphic Novel will be out by next fall." Paula took a sip of her coffee and added, "I believe it will be 'Storm Season' they release."

Gina said, "I've heard of that."

"Oh good, then you probably also know about the e-books that will be coming out as well. With all these electronic readers and smart phones out there, e-books are becoming very popular…and make good money too."

Gina sniffed and said, "Blackpawn has their own version of Rick's e-books, they do have moderate sales."

"Heat Rises is still selling strong in hard cover, and of course there is 'Frozen Heat', which although not even half-way finished yet has pre-order sales that are amazing!"

Gina's façade of indifference cracked and she asked, "How do you know that?"

Paula smiled all teeth but no warmth in her eyes and said, "Gina, you should know by now I have my sources in the business. And I also know that his engagement to Kate has not cut down in any way on the sales of his books, on the contrary sales have grown since they started dating and more so since they announced their engagement."

"The demise of the 'bad boy' of crime fiction? No Paula, his being on page six sells books, his hiding from the fans doesn't sell them."

Paula laughed and said, "Oh Gina, you should see your face! I didn't think you had any feelings for him at all, especially after last year's breakup. But here you are acting like the jealous ex."

Gina's glare at Paula was venomous, but to Paula this was nothing. "When he shows up for signings and Kate is with him, the stores order five times the number of books and they _always_ sell out. Those are Blackpawn's numbers Gina, and you know they're true."

Gina looked at Paula and tried to project indifference when she asked, "How many other publishing houses have you contacted?"

Paula looked at the fingernails of her right hand and nonchalantly said, "Oh I haven't had to contact anyone Gina, seven houses have called me, and I'm not kidding that the latest offer we have is a mere 10% below the number I gave you."

"But that's four times the amount of his last contract!"

"And still a great deal for Blackpawn," Paula said as she laid her napkin down in front of her. "Well Gina, thank you for the dinner, it was delicious. Let me know by noon tomorrow if Blackpawn agrees or not. At 12:05 if I don't hear from you we will take the other offer."

At that, Paula got up from her chair and walked back to the coatroom where she handed her ticket to the coat check girl and soon was carrying her coat as she walked out the door, it was still too warm outside to wear it. Once outside the restaurant she couldn't hold back the grin as she waved down a cab. On her way home she tried to call Rick to let him know what happened but her call immediately went to voice mail. She was slightly annoyed but not as much as before he and Kate got together. He really wasn't avoiding her any more since he knew she'd just contact Kate. Shrugging her shoulders, Paula tried Kate's number but that had the same result and went to voice mail.

Sighing in frustration, she sat back in the cab and slowly unwound from the day. 'They're like rabbits,' she thought to herself as the cab drove her through the warm December evening, hoping that at some point one of them would listen to her message.

.

.

On Christmas Eve day, Kate's was the team that would be leaving early as Karpowski volunteered to cover the shift to let Kate and her 'boys' have the afternoon off. Although they enjoyed working with, and learning from Karpowski, her detectives understood this was one of the drawbacks of being on her team. Karpowski really didn't like her in-laws and arranged to work every holiday that they would be visiting. Castle was amazed that after almost six years, her in-laws still hadn't caught on to the fact that Karpowski did that on purpose.

Not that he was complaining though. Rick entered the bullpen with three flat pastry boxes in his hands. Wearing his 'Santa' hat, he had a big grin on his face as he placed them on the tables in the breakroom, a line of officers behind him, ready to jump on whatever sugary goodness he'd brought them.

After opening the boxes he looked up at the officers waiting and said, "Remember, Karpowski's team gets first pick…Merry Christmas!" Several officers in the front groaned as Karpowski and her team worked their way through the small crowd. "Please don't eat the cinnamon bun," Rick heard one detective say, while another said, "Better save a jelly donut for the captain."

When he heard that last remark he picked up a paper plate and grabbed the largest jelly donut he could see and made his way out through the door. Once out of the breakroom he headed to Captain Montgomery's office and seeing him at his desk, knocked on the doorframe. "Saved you the biggest jelly donut Roy."

Beckoning Rick into his office, Roy smiled and held out his hand for the plate. "I knew there was a really good reason I allowed you to stay," he said as Rick smiled back. Moaning after he took a bite of the donut, Roy added, "And besides, I hadn't seen Kate so alive in years as she was when you started shadowing her."

Rick sat down in the chair Roy offered with a wave and said, "Seriously Roy, if I haven't thanked you before, I'm doing so now. I know Bob only suggested you let me tag along, it was always your call that I was here."

Roy smiled and licked some of the donut sugar off his fingers before he said, "Yes, well I guess you're welcome, but really there was never any doubt in my mind, not after I saw the way you two interacted with each other."

Roy noticed the smile that appeared on Rick's face, it was full of love. It reminded Roy of the look Evelyn says he has when he doesn't realize it's there. As if she was the only woman on earth. In Roy's eyes, she was.

Taking another bite of the donut and licking at the jelly inside, Roy continued, saying, "Kate started to live again when you came on board Rick, she showed and felt emotions that even I hadn't seen from her before. I only wish I could have gotten you here a few years earlier."

"All I can say Roy is for the rest of our lives, we are going to owe you big time."

A grin came on his face as Roy said, "So I may start winning more on poker nights?"

Rick grinned back at him and as he stood up said, "Not on your life Roy. At that table you're gonna have to earn it!"

Roy put out his hand and Rick took it in his, and as they shook Roy said, "Have a Merry Christmas Rick, you and the family."

"You too Roy. See you Tuesday?"

"Nope. Taking the rest of the week off, but you'll see us on New Years. Evelyn considers a night at your place to be a date night, so we'll be there."

Wishing Evelyn and the girls a Merry Christmas, Rick left the office and headed back to Kate's desk, just in time to see her shutting down her PC and getting ready to leave.

Looking up at his arrival Kate said, "Oh good, you're back."

Rick stopped, looked down his body to his shoes and then back up to Kate again, and said with a teasing grin, "Really? I thought this was my front."

Giving him a light, backhanded swipe across the arm Kate said, "Ha. Ha. I'm rolling on the floor laughing. Are you ready to go or do you have more schmoozing to do?"

"All schmoozed out, ready any time you are."

"Good, then we're out of here as of now. Ryan and Esposito have already left and I still have to pick up some things at the grocery store before my dad arrives."

"How can you need anything else? I thought we bought out the store the other day."

Raising an eyebrow Kate asked, "Did you take funny pills or something this morning?"

"Nope, just happy."

Giving him a skeptical look Kate said, "Uh huh. You're acting like you're on drugs or something."

"Drugs? Oooo! Wanna arrest me? Put on the cuffs?"

Hiding a smile Kate replied, "No, since we're engaged it wouldn't be right for me to arrest you," she paused for dramatic affect and said, "I'll have Esposito do it."

The gleeful look on Rick's face vanished and he mumbled, "Spoilsport."

Taking his arm she said, "Come on, I want to get everything started before people start showing up," as they started walking to the elevator.

Two hours later, their shopping done, Rick and Kate were in the kitchen preparing dinner. It was going to be special, this was the first Christmas dinner she and her father had since her mother died and Kate wanted all their favorites, along with all of Rick's and Martha's and Alexis's. However when all the foods were written down she decided that picking one from each person would be the smart thing to do.

"Why won't you tell me what you made for dessert?" Rick asked as he was preparing the roux for the cheese sauce Alexis loved.

"Not going to tell you, it's a surprise."

"I can always open the fridge and look for myself," he replied. "It's just some aluminum foil over it."

Kate turned and narrowed her eyes then said, "You do recall that I carry a gun."

Smiling Rick said, "Not in the kitchen, especially when you're cooking."

"Short walk to the safe Ricky, and it would be so sad to spend our first Christmas together with you in the hospital."

Looking in the pot and seeing the roux was ready for the cheese, Rick replied, "Hmmm, you're probably right. Besides it isn't fun opening presents in the hospital."

Looking at him from the corner of her eye Kate asked, "Another one of those stories I need to learn from Martha?"

"Alexis, but she's sworn to secrecy. Mother wasn't with us then."

Kate shrugged her shoulders and said, "If she won't tell me I can always get it out of you."

"How about I just give you a little hint and you let it go at that?"

Kate pursed her lips as she handed him chunks of cheddar and American cheese, "Tell me the hint and if it's enough I won't ask for more."

Rick started putting a few chunks of cheese in the roux and continued to stir as he said, "You know that the part of the loft by the porch is sixteen feet tall, right?"

"Yes."

"And you know that we only have a six foot tree, right?"

"Yes."

"Then let's just say that we will never, ever have a fifteen foot tree here again."

Kate looked up from the cutting board at him and said, "Rick?"

Shuddering he said, "Never again Kate. Six feet is as tall a tree as we'll ever get!"

Smiling to herself, Kate decided then and there that one day soon she would know the whole story, but for now she'd let him think she's backed off. "How much more cheese do you need?"

Looking at the cutting board he said, "What you've got is fine. I'll keep stirring and will you set up the baking dish please?"

For the next hour the two of them worked in such harmony that someone looking from outside would think they'd been cooking together for years. After they cleaned up the last of the dirty pans and bowls Kate said she needed to shower before Alexis and Martha returned and her dad showed up. Rick said he'd stay behind and make sure nothing burned but Kate decided it was too much of a temptation for him to leave the dessert alone and suggested he join her in the shower to scrub her back. His immediate and enthusiastic reply "Yes!" brought a smile to her face as she sashayed into the bedroom, feeling his eyes on her the entire way.

Martha and Alexis returned just about the same time that Rick and Kate finished getting dressed. "How did the play go?" Kate asked as they all headed to the kitchen with the amazing smells coming from it.

"It went as good as expected dear," Martha replied. "For a free showing of a Christmas Carol, it wasn't that bad."

"_I_ thought it was very good Grams," Alexis said, and then turned to Kate to add, "Grams made a wonderful ghost of Christmas past."

Kate who was checking the food in the ovens turned at that and said, "Speaking of Christmas's past, we need to get together for coffee again soon Alexis."

Alexis looked first at Kate, and then at her dad with a puzzled expression on her face, Rick made zipping motions across his mouth while shaking his head no. Kate didn't even turn around from the stove when she said, "Just ignore your father; he already gave me a hint."

Rick dropped his head in defeat when he heard his daughter say, "You really need to teach me how you see from the back of your head Kate."

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Jim arrived about an hour later with several bags, one that actually held his clothes. "You're sure this isn't an imposition Kate?" he asked.

Sighing, Kate kissed his cheek and said, "For the hundredth time Dad, no it isn't. There are three bedrooms upstairs, each with their own private bath. Alexis has one, Martha has the second and the third bedroom is for people we love to stay over."

Just as Kate finished speaking Martha came by, patted Jim on the shoulder and said, "That's you by the way, Jim." Which brought a huge smile to Kate's face and a surge of love to the woman she already felt was her second mother.

Jim shook his head and smiled, then asked Alexis if she would show him the way to his room, and as the two walked up the stairs Kate turned to catch Martha's eye and mouthed the words "Thank you." Martha simply winked and turned back to her sparkling cider, watching her son attempt to take the string off the leg of lamb without burning his fingers.

Kate walked up to him and asked, "How's it looking?"

"Delicious! It's making my mouth water. How did you learn to cook a leg of lamb like this?"

Kate shrugged and said, "It's my mom's recipe, and was my dad's favorite. We had it every Christmas."

Rick stood up and kissed her cheek, seeing the sadness in her eyes and said, "If it tastes anything like it smells, it's going to be my favorite too."

"You mean I didn't need to buy that whole filet mignon, you'd have been happy with the lamb?"

"Oh, yeah, my other favorite." Looking at the entire filet that Kate had taken out of the second oven he said, "Guess we'll just have to have them both every Christmas."

Kate put her arm around his waist and placed her head on his shoulder before saying, "You have any idea how much I love you?"

Kissing the top of her head Rick answered, "As long as I live I will never get tired of hearing you tell me that." He paused for a moment and wagging his eyebrows said, "You can tell me again if you want."

She pulled his head down to her and whispered in his ear, "Always," before letting go of him and checking the vegetables.

"Are they ready yet?" he asked.

"Hmmm, not quite, just a few more minutes though."

"This dinner is taking _forever_ to cook. At this rate we won't be finished eating before it's time to watch the movies."

Kate smiled and said, "Complain, complain, complain. I guarantee that when you're eating dinner tonight there will be no complaining."

Just at that moment, Jim and Alexis came downstairs and Jim asked, "What movies?"

"Three special movies, Jim. It's a Castle Christmas tradition!"

Alexis nodded next to him and said, "Oh yes, a tradition."

Jim turned to Martha and asked, "Tradition?"

Martha nodded her head yes and said, "I need another cider."

"Mother!" Rick exclaimed. He turned to Jim and said, "After dinner we watch 'It's a Wonderful Life', then we watch 'Going my way' after which we open presents and then we cap the evening with 'White Christmas'."

Alexis turned to Jim and said, "Dad likes to stand up and sing White Christmas along with Bing and the rest of the cast."

Rick's eyes got wide and he said to Alexis, "Hey! Maybe you and Kate can sing along to the song Sisters! Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Dad!" "Castle!" He didn't know who to turn to first as Alexis and Kate spoke at the same time.

Jim patted his shoulder and said, "Better give it up son. I was outnumbered when it was only me and Johanna, and it only got worse when Katie came along…and you have three!" He shook his head in mock commiseration and said, "You have my sympathies."

"Dad!"

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Dinner was a huge success with everyone getting to enjoy their favorite Christmas food along with every one else's. Rick proclaimed that this was his favorite meal of all time and they had to do it again next year, exactly the same. Jim was happily surprised when Kate brought out the New York style strawberry cheese cake for dessert, using the recipe that Johanna managed to get from a chef who made the best in the city.

So full they could barely move, they all managed to get to the living room where Rick put in the DVD's and they started watching the traditional movies. Kate discovered that Rick had a decent voice as he sang along with Bing and the cast in 'Going my way', but found it slightly weird to have him mouth along to the song Sisters in 'White Christmas.' "Hey, it's one of my favorite songs," he said when she called him on it.

But before they watched White Christmas they all opened one special gift, leaving the others for Christmas morning.

Rick was thrilled with his Alien Detector and placed in on a table near the window, "Just in case they try to come in from that way," he said as he was setting it up. "Do I plug it in or change the batteries?"

Reading the box Alexis said, "Its solar Dad, you can use the sun or a lamp to charge it up for over 24 hours."

"Great! That means we're protected 24/7 now." He touched the top of the detector once again before heading back to the couch with everyone else.

Alexis had opened her presents and loved the outfits that Kate and her grandmother had gotten her. She was thrilled that people were buying her clothes who did not want her to remain eight years old for the rest of her life, although she dearly loved her dad.

Martha was thrilled with the gift certificates from her two favorite furniture stores. She would be able to set up her new apartment the way she wanted, although Rick let her know that her room at the Loft would always be hers.

Jim was impressed with the new fishing gear that Rick and Kate had given him, and was touched by the tackle box that Alexis had customized with photos of them all. He sometimes still felt like an outsider but this family had a way of making him feel welcome and part of something much bigger.

Rick handed Kate her present and sat down with a look of anticipation and trepidation. From the shape it looked like a picture frame, and wondering what it could be to cause him to look that way, she slowly opened it up.

She didn't know what to do, it touched her like nothing else he'd given her except the Hugs jar a few months earlier. This was so special, so personal and so general that she simply stared at it before looking up at first Rick and then her dad with tears in her eyes.

Worried by her reaction Alexis said, "Kate…?"

Kate shook her head and pulled Rick to her and gave him a kiss. She tried to put all her love into it to let him know how much she loved her gift. Then she looked at her father and said softly, "Thank you Dad," before moving to him and giving him a hug and a kiss.

"You like it?" Rick asked.

"I love it," Kate replied. "I plan on putting it on the dresser where I can see it every day."

She passed it to Martha and Alexis to look at and they both became teary eyed. It was a small picture frame that could be hung from a tree, on the bottom was the phrase 'Our First Christmas, 2011,' and the photo was of Martha, Alexis, Rick, Kate, Jim and her mother, Johanna. They were all together for her first family Christmas since that last Christmas with her mom twelve years before. She looked at Rick again and put all the love she had for him in her eyes. 'My wonderful, wonderful man,' she thought as they all turned back to the TV to watch White Christmas.

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Kate looked out the window late that night, or rather early Christmas morning. How bright the stars, how clear everything looks. Spiritual…

It was about 2:30 in the morning when Kate awoke. Slowly getting out of bed so as not to disturb Rick, she walked into the living room and stood looking out of the window. She had a hard time remembering when the stars had looked so bright in the city. But there they were, twinkling above in the December sky, as if they were laughing at the people down below.

Kate wasn't sure what kind of mood she was in, she felt at odds with herself and her emotions and didn't know why. Part of it she knew was restlessness, tomorrow was Christmas, the first Christmas she would spend celebrating since her mother died. She looked around the living room at the tree and decorations, seeing little bits of her childhood all around her. Rick and Alexis had carefully gone through the boxes of her past as if they were treasure chests and they had so much fun placing her mother's decorations with care.

There was also contentment in her heart. When she agreed that she and her dad would stay at the loft for Christmas, Rick thanked her for staying and not going home. She had no answer to give him then, but that simple comment started a chain reaction of thoughts in her mind that culminated with the knowledge that _this_ was home. If she went to her apartment, she would be leaving her home.

She looked around the Loft, seeing things of hers that she'd placed here and there. Little by little more and more of her physical belongings were finding their place here, and each time one did, it brought her that much closer to feeling safe, secure and loved, as she hadn't in years.

But even more than that, it was the love of the people living here that made it home. After the incident at the bank, she realized that it was Rick, Alexis, and Martha along with her dad who made her family, who created her home. Who gave her that sense of peace she never knew she desperately needed in her life.

She turned around again and looked up at the stars, crossed her arms in front of her and wondered what plan God had for the rest of her life. Hoping, praying that it was filled with the contentment, peace and love she currently felt.

Rick's arms slowly came around her and hugged, one of those backward hugs she loved so much because she could just lean back on his chest and allow herself to simply relax in his embrace, to feel his love surrounding her.

Leaning her head back on his chest she softly said, "Guess you have Ninja skills to go along with your Jedi mind powers, huh?"

Kissing the top of her head he chuckled, she felt his chest vibrate with it as she leaned into him when he said, "You looked so peaceful here, I wasn't sure I should interrupt or not."

With his arms around her, Rick was gently rocking back and forth and Kate found that very soothing, reminding her of what her grandfather used to do. This was usually after he'd performed a magic trick for her and she gave him a hug. It seemed natural, normal and still special that Rick was doing it too, just one more thing that showed Kate how much Rick reminded her of her grandfather.

"I was just watching the stars, seeing how bright and clear they are tonight."

"Hmmm, they are, aren't they?" he replied. "They actually look like they're twinkling."

Leaning back further into Rick and putting her arms around his Kate said, "I know, it's almost like they're laughing at us."

"At the most beautiful, bad ass detective in all New York? They wouldn't dare!"

Kate chuckled and said, "Yeah, right, Romeo."

"So what else are you thinking about? I can feel that you're a little tense. What are you tense about, Kate, tomorrow morning? Celebrating Christmas again? Tell me so I can help if I can."

"You're the writer here, you're the one who can come up with the right words," Kate turned around in his arms to look up at him. "I need to know how you'd describe this."

"This?" he asked.

"This," she said emphatically, finger pointing between the two of them, "Us. This relationship…_our_ relationship. How would the famous writer Richard Castle describe this relationship?"

His arms still around her, and his hands falling into the familiar spot on her lower back, Rick looked out at the stars and thought for a few minutes. Kate didn't mind, however long it took. She was in his arms. She was surrounded by him and he by her and she felt she could stay there forever. She sighed contentedly and put her head on his chest, hearing his heart beating, strong, steady, constant…like him. Exactly as he has been in her life these past few years. She heard the slow rhythm of his breathing, unconsciously steady, her head moving with his chest with each breath.

She listened to that steady sound, that constant sound of heart and lungs; the sound of his life, now her life too, and considered herself lucky beyond any dreams she'd ever had. Holding him tightly, her arms around his waist and back, she realized that this was something she never wanted to lose. Something she never wanted to take for granted. Something that was more precious to her than anything else in her life. Never did she think of herself as the type of woman who finds identity in a man. Who can find herself, her core, strengthened and supported by another person. Yet here she was, early Christmas morning and realizing that miracles do happen. Because here in his arms she was finding her own Christmas miracle. The miracle of family. The miracle of love without boundaries. The miracle that was presented to her on a platter all those nights ago in the person of Richard Castle.

Her mind, which a year ago would probably be shutting down in blind panic, was calm. She felt no need to move, no need to think things through, no need to second-guess herself. For the first time since her childhood, Kate Beckett found herself at peace with the world, and that was a very nice place to be.

While Kate was experiencing her epiphany, Rick was thinking seriously about her question. What exactly did describe their relationship? Was there even a single word or phrase that could describe something so different from anything else he'd ever experienced before?

Complicated? Once, but not now, not really. Normal? Definitely not. There has never been anything normal about them since day one. Nonstandard, unusual, odd, atypical, words popped into his mind and quickly out again as each proved deficient in some way.

Lanie has stated more than once that they were weird, Madison agreed, and forget about Esposito and Ryan, they just gave him disgusted looks for weeks after he and Kate got together. How was he supposed to know the bet had been called off?

His mother came close with her declaration welcoming Kate to their world. There was and is nothing standard about Kate, she fit right in immediately, long before he knew that she did. Alexis also came close saying there was a Kate sized hole in their family. Still, that didn't quite tell it all, that didn't explain to a person from Mars just what they were. He gave himself a mental chuckle as he recalled that everyone they knew had no real definition of who they were other than perfect for each other. Well, that and pigheaded, blind, stubborn and a whole slew of other words that he didn't need to go into right now.

His eyes looked down at Kate, feeling her breathing along with him, both of them inhaling and exhaling at the same time. He felt again that sense of awe, of unworthiness that comes to him out of the blue, that this woman, this extraordinary woman actually loves him, actually wants to spend her life with him. That she came into his life at quite possibly his lowest point, when he truly had nothing of value in his life other than Alexis. When he had no direction, no purpose, and no real sense of value any more. When all he was, was the empty husk of what he used to be, a caricature of Richard Castle, a two dimensional, and if he was truthful, shallow man.

And this amazing woman holding him as tightly as possible, keeping herself as close as she could to him, was the catalyst that brought him out of that. The person who helped him become the man he is, the man he always wanted to be, the man he always wished he could be.

Rick knew this wasn't a one way street, that he affected Kate in ways that he still didn't understand. That he helped her become the woman she is today, more open, more alive, more the Kate who existed before her mother was murdered. And despite all the challenges they faced, all the wrong moves on their parts, all the misunderstandings that kept them from each other, love actually grew. It persevered in the face of all that adversity, and it actually thrived during those lean years.

His mind immediately brought up the image of a flower. Not just any flower but the legendary Amaranth, the magic flower that never fades or withers, that always blooms despite the conditions around it. Yet, that still didn't describe who they were, what they were, it only described what he knew before Kate did, that they were magic together.

Despite having a thesaurus for a brain, as Kate liked to say, Rick found it difficult to come up with one word. They supported each other and drew strength from each other. Each knew the other better than they knew themselves, and they were a team, a partnership that stood outside the considered norm. There was nothing about them that was ordinary and yet extraordinary didn't seem to come close to define them.

Kate lifted her head and looked at Rick, a little crease between her eyes and she asked, "Anything?"

"Nope," he said, "I got nothing."

She put her lips to his chest, kissed his shirt, and said, "Hmmm, that amazing brain of yours has nothing?"

He shrugged his shoulders, lowered his head and kissed the top of hers, lifting his lips from her hair he said, "What can I say? What has ever been simple about us?"

Breathing in the scent of him from his shirt, she pulled back and smiled, her eyes shining. "What _can_ you say, what can anyone say? It's just us."

Rick stopped breathing for a moment, then said, "And that my love is the perfect description for what it is that we have, what we are. Simply us, perfectly us, amazingly us."

Kate smiled and said, "You mean that even though you're the famous author, _I_ came up with the perfect description?"

Rick lowered his head and kissed the tip of her nose, "What can I say? I must have rubbed off on you."

Kate gave a throaty little chuckle, kissed his chin and said, "You rub me in all the right ways."

"Hmmm," he said the sound coming deep from his chest. "Want to take this conversation back to the bedroom?"

Looking in his eyes, seeing how dark they were and feeling her own desire building she kissed him and softly said, "Oh yes, I think that's exactly where we should take this."

They slowly pulled their arms away from each other, but didn't completely let go of each other as they made their way back to the bedroom.

Standing on the landing at the top of the stairs, unwilling to even breathe so not to disturb them, Jim had heard most of what they said. He had gotten up to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator but stopped when he saw Rick walk to the window, and then heard their voices.

Although part of him wanted to walk away and give them privacy, he also wanted to make sure that this was as right for his daughter as he thought. Now, watching them walk away after their conversation, with their arms around each other, he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that never in his life could he possibly wish anything better for Kate than what she had now.

He sat down on the top stair and closed his eyes. He could almost feel Johanna sitting by his side and he softly said to himself, "This is what we always wished for her Jo, to be happy and to be loved. He's a wonderful man and he'll always make her happy."

He sat there for a few more minutes and then got up and went back to his room, his water forgotten. He had something so much more refreshing now. He knew his daughter was finally happy, finally with a man she could truly and totally love, in the same place that he and Johanna had been in all those years ago. He found that for the first time since that horrible night that Detective Raglan met him; he also felt his life could move forward…after all, from what he overheard, he didn't think it would be too long before he'd be walking his little girl down the aisle and within a few years holding his first grandchild.

And with that thought he slowly went back to sleep.

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**Authors Note: I wrote this in two parts as I didn't want the chapters to be too long and what happens? My own Castle version of War and Peace. Were you able to tell the part I was stuck on all this time? It was getting them out of the precinct and into the loft, making dinner and then opening presents. All this stupid time, _that_ has been the scene that has caused my writers block! Go figure. Oh, and before I get any anonymous reviews on how immature I made Rick with the elf story, _he did it on purpose_.**

**Now once again I need to apologize to all of you who have been waiting patiently, I appreciate your patience and hope that you haven't decided to dump me for a newer model, or take a ride in your Ferrari and forget about me. ;-)**

**While unable to finish this chapter, I _was_ able to write two other stories, 'The Conversation', and 'Vengeance is Mine'. Why I could write two new stories and not finish this chapter is beyond me. BTW, if anyone is interested in my little vignettes that I haven't published, they can be found on my website. RGoodfellow (dot) com. So far, the only stories not uploaded are IFP and a new one I'm working on. You would not believe how messed up Word documents get when I put them on the site.**

**To all who have been reading IFP, I thank you so much for your reviews, comments and PM's. They have meant a lot, especially when I was blocked in finishing the chapter and you were left hanging. Oh and lastly, chkgun93, I hope it didn't disappoint. **


	24. Chapter 24, Going to the Chapel

Is Forever Possible

by RGoodfellow64

Chapter 24, Going to the Chapel

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Disclaimer: Not only do I not own Castle, or anything about it, I also don't get a penny for anything I write about it, which, considering that they're professionals and I'm not, is probably alright with the universe.

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"Rick. Rick! Come on hon, open your eyes."

Shaking his head carefully, Rick looked up into the frightened and worried eyes of his partner and asked, his voice slightly slurring, "Are you ok Kate?"

She sniffled, holding back tears, and smiled at him, "Yeah, I'm fine, but you're bleeding." Turning her head slightly she yelled, "Ryan, did you make the call?"

Ryan rushed up to her from the front of the ally, "Yes, they have a bus on the way."

Turning back to Rick, Kate said, "There's an ambulance on the way, just stay still and keep talking."

His eyes were closing when she called for him to keep them open and talk to her. "Huh? What do you want me to say, Kate?" He paused a moment and added, "I can't think of anything to say."

Wiping a tear away Kate gave a bark of laughter and said, "For years I can't get you to shut up and the one time I want you to talk you've got nothing to say?"

He smiled at her and said, "I love you?"

Her smile beamed and she said, "Just keep telling me that, over and over and over. Don't stop till I tell you to."

Still smiling he said, "That's easy. I love you, Kate. I love you, Kate. I love y…"

"Don't close your eyes Rick! Keep looking at me and talking…Ryan where the _hell's_ that bus?"

Ryan walked up to her and putting his hand on her shoulder, he looked down at her and Rick and said, "Just a few more minutes, Kate. Just a few more minutes."

She nodded her head but never took her eyes off Rick as he stared at her and kept repeating, "I love you, Kate" over and over again. The sight of his blood made her wish so desperately that it was her on the ground instead of him. What was worse was that she only had a slight idea what happened, memories of his calling her name, grabbing her from behind and then they were both on the ground and he was bleeding. Oh God how much he was bleeding! She prayed as she never prayed before, silently urging the ambulance to arrive quickly, and verbally reminding Rick to keep his eyes open and to keep talking.

A few seconds later Esposito and a uniform came walking down the alley with the suspect in custody. Esposito looked angry, and the other officer kept a tight grip on the suspect as they were leading him to a squad car.

As he was walking past Beckett and Castle, the officer saw the look of concern on the faces of the three detectives as Castle was still on the ground speaking softly to Beckett. The suspect looked down and smirked at the scene before him and said, "Well at least I got one of you."

Before he had any idea of it happening, the officer felt the suspect being pulled from his grasp and watched as Esposito flung him face first into the brick wall of a building. Ryan kept a hand on Beckett's shoulder as she started to rise, with a look at the suspect that said that what Esposito did was nothing compared to the hurt she would give him. She started to push away from Ryan to go after the suspect when Castle quietly said, "Kate."

She immediately looked back at Rick and he smiled before he continued saying, "I love you, Kate. I love you, Kate."

Esposito meanwhile pulled the bruised suspect from the wall and said, "We may have to have someone look at your face. If you hadn't run away from us when we got here you never would have fallen and hurt yourself."

The suspect was going to protest when he saw the looks on the faces around him. Esposito looked like he was ready to push him into the wall again, Ryan still had a hand on Beckett's shoulder but the look on his face was venomous, and the uniformed officer simply nodded and said, "That was a nasty fall you took back there."

Esposito and the uniform roughly pulled the suspect from the wall and marched him out of the alley into a squad car just as the ambulance arrived. Seeing the suspect's face and bloody nose, the EMT came over to the car to assist when Esposito said, "Not him, he just fell, we have an officer down back there."

The EMT looked up the alley and saw Ryan waving him on and he hurried to where he was standing near Kate. The EMT immediately knelt down next to Castle and started asking questions. Beckett answered as best as she could and Ryan filled in the blanks and soon Castle was on the gurney and wheeled to the ambulance.

Throwing her keys to him, Kate said, "Ryan, I'm going with Rick to the hospital, take my car to the precinct. You and Esposito have this one."

Ryan nodded his head and said, "We'll let the Captain know what happened, just let us know what's happening to Castle, OK?"

Kate nodded her head yes and got in the ambulance with the EMTs and soon they were on their way to the hospital.

Once in the emergency room, doctors looked at Castle and he was immediately prepped for surgery. Kate was frantic, she called Alexis and Martha, Captain Montgomery, Ryan and finally her dad. Then she had to sit alone in the waiting room as Rick was brought into surgery. A few minutes later a hospital volunteer gave Kate a bag containing items that Rick was carrying when they brought him into the OR. His wallet, his keys, any cash and change he was carrying along with his cell phone.

Her first thought was he couldn't be gone. There was no way that he was gone! The charge nurse saw the look on Kate's face and said, "He's still being prepped and nothing happened. They had to take his clothing off and we thought you'd prefer to hold his things rather than they sit in a bag at the nursing station before he's assigned a room."

Kate let out a sigh of relief, thanked the volunteer and nurse and waited. Twenty minutes later Martha and Alexis arrived, followed by several police officers who had been sent by Captain Montgomery to hold off the reporters who were clamoring for a story. When Kate heard that, she groaned and wondered what to do when Martha suggested she would call Paula to handle the press and let Kate worry about Rick.

Kate gave Martha a smile and kissed her cheek, then just held onto Alexis as Martha made the call. While Martha was on the phone Ryan arrived to see how Castle was doing, just as Alexis asked Kate what happened. 

"I don't know sweetie, it was a blast of some kind. Esposito, Officer Carrington, your dad and I were chasing a suspect down an alley. Esposito and Carrington were ahead of us and I had to jump to avoid tripping over a pipe the suspect kicked. A few seconds later your dad called my name and grabbed me from behind, then I heard a loud blast and we were pushed to the ground."

"What happened? Why did he do that and what pushed you down?"

"A pipe bomb," Ryan said. "I was behind them on the sidewalk, directing other officers to go around the building when I saw your dad grab Detective Beckett. Somehow, he knew the pipe the suspect kicked was a pipe bomb and he tried to protect her with his body."

"A pipe bomb?" Kate asked.

"Yeah a pipe bomb, but thankfully it wasn't too powerful," Ryan answered.

"But don't pipe bombs have a fuse or timer?" Alexis asked.

Kate gave her a puzzled look and Alexis shrugged her shoulders and said, "I've helped Dad with research."

"It could have been set with chemicals that would cause the explosion when it was moved," Ryan said. Then after a moment he added, "Which means our suspect purposely set it there and lured us into that alley, hoping to hurt one or more of us."

Kate looked up at Ryan and he saw murder in her eyes. When she spoke her words were like ice, "I want his ass nailed to the wall Ryan. If he walks after hurting Rick like this, then I will personally go after the son of a…"

"Paula says she'll be down within a few minutes Kate," Martha said, interrupting the conversation. "She needs to know what happened and told me to tell you not to worry about anything other than Rick. She'll take care of the rest."

As Martha sat down next to Alexis, Kate reached over and took her hand. "Thank you so much Martha, I thought I was ready to handle any emergency, but seeing Rick on the ground, with the blood and…" she couldn't continue and just started to cry. Alexis pulled her into a hug and the two women sat crying with their arms around each other as Martha put her arms around both.

This was her family, and by God, she was going to be there for them. She would be the rock that they all needed while Rick was in the Operating Room, and even after he came out of the OR. Martha could play the Broadway Diva to perfection, but inside she was still a parent…his parent and she would protect and defend her family as best as she could. Almost eighteen years ago Alexis joined her little family and now, this past year, Kate finally was here too.

Martha looked up and caught Ryan's eye, "Kevin, will you stay here and explain what happened to Paula when she arrives?"

Smiling at the family tableau before him, watching as they comforted each other, Ryan nodded his head and said, "No problem Mrs. R."

Martha thanked him and went back to stroking the heads of her two girls, waiting for the news of her son.

Fifteen minutes later Paula walked in with several of her people and Martha pointed to Ryan when she asked what had happened. Before going to Ryan, she walked up to Kate and gave her a hug then did the same for Alexis. "Detective Ryan can tell you what happened Paula," Kate said, "I was too busy being protected by Rick."

Putting her hand on Kate's shoulder, Paula said, "He will do anything for the people he loves Kate, anything." Then she turned and walked to Ryan to get particulars to feed the press.

Kate looked at Martha with tear-stained eyes and Martha nodded back to her. "He loves you so much Kate. He'd do the same for Alexis too." Kate could only nod her head in agreement, as she turned back to Alexis and held her closely.

Alexis buried her head on Kate's shoulder and asked, "Who is this guy Kate? Why did he want to hurt my dad?"

"He committed two murders, and when we discovered who he was, he started to go after police. Two other officers were injured by pipe bombs in the last two days." That Kate said 'two other officers' had been injured didn't go unnoticed, and Alexis couldn't help but feel pride that Kate thought of her father as a fellow officer.

"How?" Alexis asked.

"We were able to piece together information Lanie supplied from the two murder victims that helped us determine who the killer was. It doesn't bring their loved ones back," Kate said, "but it does help to bring some closure to them; to help them keep on living when their loved ones are taken from them." Alexis nodded her head and didn't say anything else and the three women sat waiting for word on Rick.

This came about faster than they'd expected. Paula was able to make mountains move where everyone else had to wait, and had contacted the public relations department of the hospital. She reminded them that they had a high profile celebrity on their hands, and information for the family, and the press, was critical, so it was no surprise to Paula when the hospitals' Assistant Administrator and the head of the Surgical Department came into the waiting room looking for the family of Richard Castle.

"I'm his mother," Martha said as she stood up. She gestured to Alexis and Kate and said, "This is his daughter and his fiancée." Her steely façade broke and she asked in a small voice, "Can you tell us how he is?"

The Assistant Administrator smiled and said, "My name is Rudolph Thornberg, and I'm happy to tell you that your son, father and fiancé is doing well and should be allowed home tomorrow."

Kate felt her legs go weak and had to sit, almost dragging Alexis with her since their arms were intertwined. Martha said, "Oh thank God. He can go home tomorrow?"

"This is Dr. Patterson, the head of our Surgical Department and he can give you more detailed information."

Dr. Patterson was a tall, distinguished looking man who exuded confidence and professionalism. Kate had a stray thought that he wouldn't have looked out of place in a Norman Rockwell painting. He smiled at all assembled and watched as two more men entered the room just as he began to speak. "Mr. Castle was extremely lucky in the injuries he sustained in what I have been told was a pipe bomb blast. His heavy suede coat actually had real sheepskin and wool liner and the combination helped to impede the projectiles that hit him from causing very much damage. Had he not been wearing that coat he would have experienced much worse."

One of the two men who just entered the waiting room spoke up. "Doctor, I'm Captain Montgomery, Richard Castle is one of my people. Would you elaborate please?"

Nodding to Captain Montgomery, Dr. Patterson said, "Of course. When Mr. Castle first entered the emergency room, his injuries looked far worse than they actually were. We were informed he'd been in an explosion of some sort, and based on the initial examination, we immediately brought him into surgery. Upon further examination in the OR, we were very happy to see that what at first looked like grave injuries turned out not to be, and we were able to quickly assess what damage he did sustain, and work on repairing those injuries as quickly as possible."

He paused and continued, "Some pieces of metal did enter his left calf which required removal and stitches. What looked to be the worst of his injuries, to the head, were actually minor compared to what could have happened. In a blast of this type, we have seen projectiles fly at high rates of speed, and cause serious head injuries, even death in victims. In Mr. Castle's case, he was evidently bending over when the blast occurred as the projectiles that hit his head glanced off his skull, and were not imbedded. This caused much of the bleeding which was acerbated by the blow to his forehead when he hit the ground after the blast. He also is suffering from a slight concussion due to that blow."

He stopped and looked at each person in the room as what he said was digested. After a few seconds he added, "You really can all relax. Mr. Castle is in good condition and we only needed to use some local anesthesia, he was awake during the entire procedure."

"He was?" Kate asked in surprise. "He seemed groggy and had a hard time keeping his eyes open."

"That was partly from the shock of the blast but mostly from when he hit his head." He paused a moment and then asked, "Does he know anyone named Kate?"

"That's me," Kate answered. "I'm his partner as well as his fiancée."

Dr. Patterson smiled and said, "Oh, that explains it then."

"Explains what doctor?" Martha asked.

"All the while as he was brought into the OR and until we told him it was alright to stop, he kept saying over and over, that he loved someone named Kate."

While her tears of gratitude fell, Kate also had to laugh. "I never told him to stop," she said to the curious looks from everyone.

"When can we see him?" Alexis asked.

"He'll be placed in a private room within a half hour and you can see him then." Dr. Patterson paused for a moment and added, "This is so we can monitor him during the next twelve hours or so, pretty much standard with a concussion and the injuries he sustained."

"Doctor, his coat and any pieces of metal you have will need to be gathered for evidence."

Mr. Thornberg nodded his head and said, "This was anticipated Captain, everything that the police may possibly need was kept separate during the procedure. I'll be happy to lead you or your detectives to the operating room to collect it."

Captain Montgomery nodded to Ryan and Esposito, who had arrived with Montgomery, and they both followed Thornberg to the operating room.

Dr. Patterson informed everyone that Dr. Malcolm Collier, who performed the operation, would be available for any questions in about an hour. As he turned away to leave after everyone thanked him, he suddenly stopped and turned to Castle's family and said before leaving, "One other thing I should mention, he isn't too happy about his hair."

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Exactly thirty-three minutes later Rick was laying in the hospital bed, wires hooked up to monitor his vitals, and surrounded by his family and friends. He had received big hugs from his mother, Alexis and Kate. When Kate hugged him, she whispered in his ear, "This is called 'The last time you'll ever be in the hospital because of me, hug'."

Before he had a chance to say anything back Paula came in and also gave him a hug before turning to Martha, Alexis and Kate to ask if there was anything she should add to or not say in her statement to the press. Captain Montgomery was in the room and told Paula he had a statement on behalf of the NYPD and perhaps they could make their statements together.

"Hey, what about me?" Rick asked. "Shouldn't I have something to say about what goes out to the press?"

Martha, who was reading the press statement Paula had written and looked up when Rick spoke, said, "Don't worry dear; we have things well in hand. I've been doing this for years."

Rick shook his head and softly said under his breath, "That's what I'm afraid of."

Without taking her eyes off the copy Martha said, "I heard that!"

Kate sat on the side of the bed and took his hand. "Don't worry Rick, it will be perfect." She put her arm under his head and leaned down to kiss him when he said, "Don't look at the back of my head."

Kate pulled back and gave him a puzzled look, "Why not?"

"It's naked."

"Naked?"

"They had to shave two spots to put in stitches. This is so embarrassing! How can I go to Ryan's wedding with a naked head?"

Kate looked at him and asked, "Did they give you any drugs for the pain?"

He gave her a goofy grin and said, "Hmmm?"

Walking away from Martha and Paula, Alexis stood on the other side of the bed and said, "You can hardly see them Dad."

He quickly turned his head back to Alexis to respond and Kate saw the two small areas on the back of his head. "She's right you know Rick, they really don't stand out at all."

He put his head back down on the pillow and said, "Couldn't they have used something other than stitches, like crazy glue?"

Alexis looked at him with a soft gaze and said, "You know Dad? Sometimes I worry about you."

This earned a chuckle from Martha and Paula, and a soft smile from Kate.

Rick felt Kate squeezing his hand and looked at her, he quietly said, "I'm fine Kate. Really, except for the splitting headache and some soreness, I'm OK."

Kate was about to say something when two officers entered the hospital room, looked at the group of people with Castle and then noticed Captain Montgomery. They immediately walked over to him and one of them said, "Capt. Montgomery, sir? I'm Detective Foster and this is Detective Capone, Internal Affairs."

Kate gasped, "Internal Affairs?" at the same time Rick said in delight, "Capone?"

Detective Capone looked over to Rick and said with a grin, "Sorry, no relation."

At the same time Capt. Montgomery nodded and said, "I was expecting you, Vicky said she'd send you over so we can cover all the bases."

"Bases sir?" Kate asked and held onto Rick's hand even tighter than before. She was going to say something else when Ryan and Esposito walked in with two plastic bags in their hands. Ryan was holding the larger one while Esposito held the smaller. The larger one was quite heavy as Ryan was puffing when he set it down and said, "Castle, no wonder you were so well protected, this coat weighs a ton!"

Captain Montgomery called them to order and introduced Foster and Capone to them before turning to Martha, Alexis and Paula and asking if they could leave the room for a short time while Internal Affairs went over the details of this afternoon.

"Sir?" Kate asked.

The Captain nodded and said, "It's just a formality Detective Beckett. Since Mr. Castle is a high profile consultant, this makes the case a matter for the press. I spoke to Lt. Gates before I left the precinct and asked her to send her best Detectives here so we can ensure any and all questions will be answered."

Martha took Alexis by the arm and said, "Come along dear, and you too Paula. We'll let the police talk for a while before we come back." Pausing a moment she added, "This will allow me more time to think about what to say to the press Paula."

As the three women left his room Rick turned to Detectives Foster and Capone and said, "Can you make this quick guys? That's my mother holding my reputation in her hands."

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About ten minutes later Kate left the room to find Martha, Alexis and Paula sitting in the nurse's lounge drinking coffee. As Kate joined them Alexis asked what was happening. "They're going over every single step we all made, my part was pretty small and they sent me out so they could get your dad's statement without my input."

Martha could see that Kate wasn't happy about being asked to leave Rick, so she suggested that Alexis take her to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. Alexis nodded and she took Kate's arm and headed to the cafeteria. When they returned fifteen minutes later Captain Montgomery was with Martha and Paula going over the official announcements to the press.

"Is Rick alone with IA?" Kate asked.

"No Kate, you can go back in now. IA got Rick's statement and then I asked them to go with Ryan and Esposito back to the 12th for theirs." The Captain smiled and said, "He's probably lonesome and wondering why everyone left."

"Come on Kate," Alexis said with a smile, "We better get back there before he tries to sign himself out."

As they entered his room they saw that a doctor and nurse were with him. Kate rushed to the bed and seeing that Rick was ok asked what was going on.

"I'm Doctor Collier, I was the surgeon who operated on Mr. Castle; we were just going over his last tests and checking his medicine."

Alexis looked at Kate and smiled. "So he _is_ on pain meds then," she said.

"Oh yes, but not heavy ones. Just for the stitches on his head and the trauma to his calf as well." He looked back at the chart and said, "Would you excuse me for a minute? I need to check on something," and at Kate's nod, he and the nurse left the room.

Martha walked in after he left and said, "Richard, Paula and Captain Montgomery are making a joint statement to the press. I asked them both to keep a copy for you."

She walked to her son's bed and took his hand as he said, "Thank you Mother." As the two of them spoke Alexis and Kate sat back in the chairs they'd been in earlier. Kate was twisting the top of the bag that held Rick's personal belongings and Alexis looked at her with a strange look before she softly spoke, "Kate, I mentioned it before, but I really think it's time that you move in with us."

"Alexis, you know my reasons…it's been that way since I was a little girl."

"But Kate, it isn't just Dad, we all want you here with us."

Kate sat quietly, looking at the bag of Rick's belongings in her lap, going through all that happened that day and seriously thinking about her priorities. She removed Rick's phone from the bag, lifted her head and handed the bag to Alexis, then said, "Alexis, keep an eye on this for a few minutes, I need to make a call."

With a puzzled look, Alexis nodded and took the bag as Kate walked out of the waiting room to the area designated for cell phone use. She turned on Rick's phone, unlocked it and searched for a number. When she found it she pressed the dial button and listened as the number rang before a voice answered. "Ricky! I thought you were in the hospital! How're you doing?"

Clearing her throat she said, "Mr. Mayor? It's Kate Beckett. I need to discuss something with you. Do you have a minute or two free?"

"Of course Detective, of course."

In Rick's room, Martha was keeping her son so occupied that he didn't notice when Kate left, or even when she returned to the room, but he did hear her ask Martha and Alexis for a few minutes alone with him.

As the two left the room and closed the door behind them, Rick looked at Kate with a slight frown and asked, "Is everything ok?"

"No it isn't. Rick you could have been badly hurt or killed today."

"But Kate…"

She put her finger on his mouth and said, "Shhh. Let me say what I have to say, then you can talk, ok?"

He kissed her finger and softly said, "Ok."

Kate looked at him with a look that spoke volumes of her love for him. "When we spoke about our wedding, we talked about summer in the Hamptons, or fall in New England," she paused for a moment and continued, "But Rick, I could have lost you today…"

He interrupted and said, "Or I could have lost you."

"Rick, I was never so frightened in my life. Not even when we were in the freezer or faced the bomb. Seeing you like that was even worse than when my mother died, and I don't…I can't…we can't wait any longer. I want to marry you, now, today, right here. I don't want any more time to pass us by."

"Kate?"

"Rick, we both want this, we both wanted this for a long time now, and there will be no more waiting."

"But what about the wedding and reception? Don't you want your dad to walk you down the aisle?"

"Not more than I want to be with you," Kate replied.

"But…but didn't you buy the dress?"

"Without you what use is a wedding dress, or a fancy reception?" She took a deep breath and continued. "Rick, if anything happened to you…God I can't believe it's me saying this…I couldn't go on, I wouldn't _want_ to go on."

He stared up at her as she ran her fingers through her hair and continued, "Look at me! When I picked you up at the Storm Fall party I was no-nonsense, work is everything Detective Beckett. I didn't need anybody, let alone a man, to protect me, to defend me, to support me. I didn't need anyone or anything at all. I had walls built up to protect me and I kept people away. I worked almost eighty hours a week and never took vacations. And then you came waltzing into my life and screwed everything up!"

His eyes got wide and he said, "Huh?"

"You heard me, you messed up everything. I was tough, I was strong and my world was work, but suddenly I found it hard to hold back smiles, I had to put my hand in front of my face to keep you from seeing them. Then I found myself trusting you with things I never spoke about to anyone but Lanie, and not even all of that to her."

Rick just lay in the bed and watched as Kate continued to speak, almost purging herself of feelings she held back.

"Then you made me laugh. I used to simply call my dad and say that I was fine, but soon I found myself telling him about your wild theories, or how you found a clue that helped solve a case, or any number of things you did that somehow made my day and my life a little brighter."

She looked into his eyes and smiled. "No matter how hard I tried to push you away, you either never left or you came back, and after a while I found I not only didn't want you to go away, I actually wanted you to stay. You kept me sane, you kept me grounded and somehow in the midst of the most gruesome cases, in the midst of the most dangerous cases, you lightened my heart and my soul and I was terrified that I was falling in love. For the first time in my life, truly falling in love, and there was nothing I could do about it."

His eyes crinkled as he smiled back, but he kept still, allowing her all the time she needed to have her say.

"Rick, I love you so much that even the thought of not being with you hurts. A few minutes ago I used your phone to call the Mayor."

"Bob?"

Kate chuckled and said, "Yeah, Bob. I spoke to him about getting married right away and we went over the logistics of doing it this evening."

"Tonight?"

A big smile came on her face as she said, "Yes. Tonight. No more waiting. He said he could arrange for a license for us and that it could be held for a few weeks before quietly filing it. This may keep the press away, at least for a while."

"I checked Kate, we have to wait twenty four hours after the license is issued before we can get married."

"Not if it's waived by a judge. You wouldn't by any chance know a judge would you?" she asked with a grin.

"Markway."

"Yep."

"Blood tests?" he asked, wondering why he was incapable of putting more words together to make a complete sentence.

Kate pursed her lips and said, "Well, if you look around you'll see that we are in a hospital, but blood tests aren't required in New York."

He licked his lips and asked, "Kate, are you _sure_?"

Taking his hand in her left, she put his fingers on her engagement ring and said, "I have never been more sure of anything in my life. Tomorrow when we leave here and go to the loft, we will both be going home. Home Rick, _our_ home. Because wherever you are, that is where I plan to be for the rest of our lives."

"Threshold?" he asked.

The smile on her face suddenly seemed brighter than the lights in the room and she said, "You can carry me across that when you're healed…as a matter of fact you can carry me anywhere you want when you're healed."

A grin came on his face as he said, "Anywhere?"

"Hmmm, well there may be…"

"Oh no, no take backs! You said anywhere and I'm holding you to it!"

"Before that can happen Rick, you have to marry me. Tonight Rick. I don't want another day to go by without you." She leaned down and kissed his cheek then moved her mouth to his ear before whispering, "Tonight Rick. Today. Now."

He turned his head and found her lips with his. After a long, languid kiss he softly said, "I will never, ever figure you out Kate, will I?"

She nuzzled him and whispered back, "Ah, but think how much fun it will be trying."

Still squeezing her hand he said, "I want this too Kate, more than I ever thought I wanted anything in my life. Will you marry me…now?"

She kissed him once again and softly said, "Yes."

Rick pulled his head back from her by a few inches and looked into her eyes before he said, "In that case Kate, I have one more question for you."

With a quizzical look Kate asked, "What?"

"May I have my phone back please? I need to make a couple of calls."

With a smile on her face Kate handed him the phone and she watched as he made the first of several calls.

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The calls had been made. People were asked to come and one by one they entered the private room that Rick had at the hospital. Although the head nurse wasn't very happy with the number of people present, when the Mayor is one of them you don't suddenly decide to kick them out just because visiting hours are over.

Sitting up in his bed with Kate by his side, Rick was speaking to Ryan while at the foot of his bed Captain Montgomery, the Mayor and Judge Markway were talking about the next poker game and possibly ganging up on Rick. They'd said the last loud enough for Rick to hear which elicited a "Hey!" from him and smiles from the group.

It was just at that moment, when everyone was silent and smiling that Ryan asked, "Hey Castle, how did you know it was a bomb?"

Everyone turned to look at him as he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Internet."

"The internet?" Kate asked.

He turned to look at her and said, "Yeah, I'm not always playing games when I sit by your desk, you know. Mostly I'm doing research."

"What about that video of the Swedish Bikini team and the Volkswagen Beetle?"

Looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Rick replied, "Ahh, I was simply curious on how they all got in there?"

Tongue in cheek, holding back a smile Kate said, "Uh huh," then with a gleam in her eye added, "You only had to ask Rick, it's simple when you know how."

His eyes widened and then he started to chuckle along with everyone else as they enjoyed the bantering between the two. A few minutes later Judge Markway looked at his watch and said, "Ok, it's been…" turning to the Mayor he asked, "It's been over an hour now Bob, hasn't it?"

"It's well over four now Brian, I marked the time from the moment Kate called me."

"Ok then, we're ready to go, will everyone take their places please?"

There was some shuffling around as everyone took their assigned places. Paula was there taking photos for the occasion as well as making sure there would be one or two that could be sent to the press when Rick and Kate wanted the knowledge to come out.

As the Mayor took his place by Rick's side as best man, Rick complained once again that it wasn't right that he had to stay in bed. "I'm getting married now. Being in bed is what's supposed to happen _after_ the wedding."

"Rick, my dad's here!"

Lanie, who was standing by Kate as her maid of honor, turned to Esposito and said, "We couldn't tell anyone anyway. No one would believe it."

Judge Markway cleared his throat with a loud "Ahem!" Getting everyone's attention and directing them to their proper places once again, he said, "It's getting late folks, and sooner or later someone from the hospital is going to try to enter the room to see what's happening, so let's get this done. We'll make it short and sweet and you can do this later if you want with all the fancy words and phrases."

Ryan and Esposito moved towards the door and leaned back, effectively acting like a block in case someone tried to enter as Judge Markway looked to Kate's father and said, "Mr. Beckett, do you give your daughter to this man?"

Jim Beckett looked at his daughter, at the glow in her eyes and face and said, "She's been on her own for a while now, but just to make sure there's no question about it, Johanna and I happily give our daughter to this man."

Kate swallowed back a tear and threw her father a kiss as Alexis, Martha and Lanie needed a tissue to dab tears that had formed.

Judge Markway turned to Rick and said, "Richard Castle, do you take Katherine Beckett as your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to honor and cherish for the rest of your life?"

Rick found himself also having to swallow back his emotions as he said, "Oh yes I will."

Judge Markway looked up and said, "That's what I like to see in a groom, enthusiasm!"

This got a laugh from everyone and then the judge turned to Kate and said, "Katherine Beckett, do you take Richard Castle as your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to honor and cherish for the rest of your life?"

Kate looked down into Rick's eyes and said in a clear, strong voice, "I do."

Smiling, Judge Markway said, "I sincerely doubt anyone in this room has any reason why these two should not be wed, especially since the bride carries a gun. So with the authority vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Kate leaned down and gave Rick a kiss, then pulled back from his lips to whisper in his ear, "Mine, Rick, you're mine and I'm never letting you go."

Rick put his arm around Kate and gave her a hug, whispering back, "If you ever thought you couldn't get rid of me before, you haven't seen anything yet. Oh Kate, I love you so, so much."

Kate gave him one more quick kiss before lifting her head to the applause of all present. Holding onto his hand she looked at her family and friends and wondered how she ever got to this place. Sometimes she felt on solid ground and other times it felt like she'd jumped out of a plane without a parachute, but always, _always_ she knew that Rick was there beside her.

Paula set the camera up on the other side of the room and everyone surrounded the happy couple for a group shot. Two more were taken till Paula was satisfied, and then slowly, in ones and twos, everyone left till it was just Kate and Rick.

She was sitting on the side of the bed still holding his hand. His eyes were glowing and she could see his love for her pouring out. Niagara Falls had nothing on the love in Rick's eyes. She felt he was showering her with it.

"Hello, Mrs. Castle."

Kate gazed into Rick's eyes for another second, then laughing, said flirtatiously, "Hello, Mr. Castle."

He shook his head and said with a sense of wonder in his voice, "After all that we've been through Kate, all the mistakes I've made, I can't believe that we're here, that we're married."

"Mistakes you've made Rick? Believe me; I've made my share here too. For a long time now I've known you are the only one for me, and now we're here." She smiled and said, "There will still be a lot of firsts in the years ahead Rick, but they'll be the last firsts we have."

He smiled and said, "I really need another kiss."

She leaned down to kiss him again, a long, slow, thorough kiss that left his toes tingling, and did the same for her. As she pulled away he smiled and said, "Wow. Kissing you as my wife is even better than kissing you as my fiancée. Nothing can be better than this."

Kate looked him in the eye and he saw hers darken with desire. Her voice deepened, lovingly warm and yet teasingly soft when she said with utmost certainty, "Oh Rick, you have _no_ idea."

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**AUTHORS NOTE: I have given up trying to figure out what my muse wants me to write. I mean, really! This was supposed to be all about Ryan and Jenny's wedding, thus the title. _They_ were going to the chapel, they were going to be married, not Rick and Kate. Now I have all these other scenes I've written for future chapters with Kate and Rick engaged that I need to change…once again it's re-write time.**

**Anyway I hope you liked this chapter, and will still be around for chapter 25, which if my muse will allow, will finally have some scenes of Ryan and Jenny's wedding. **


	25. Chapter 25, Beginnings and Endings

Is Forever Possible

by RGoodfellow64

Chapter 25, Beginnings and Endings

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Disclaimer: I could say I own Castle but then I'd be fooling myself. ABC along with Andrew Marlow really own Castle, they just let me play with their characters every now and then. That didn't come out as innocent as I meant it. ;-)

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"Detective Beckett! Detective Beckett!"

Kate just walked out the door of the loft without acknowledging any of the reporters.

"Is Mr. Castle going to be ok?"

"Are his injuries worse than we've been told?"

"Why did the Mayor visit the other night?"

"Was Judge Markway there to revise Mr. Castle's will?"

"Are his injuries fatal Detective? Is that why we haven't seen him?"

"What will happen to the Castle empire when he's gone Detective?"

Kate didn't look left or right, didn't acknowledge any of the questions, even when they became disturbing, questioning whether Rick would survive or not. Kate noticed how the press seemed to feed off itself, from simple questions about Rick and trying to attract her attention, to the point where he is supposedly dying from his injuries and she will inherit the estate.

'Rick was so right,' she thought to herself. 'When they're not fed something, they'll immediately look for the worst, and it's best to just ignore them.' She arrived at her cruiser and was about to open the door when the last question came, "Detective, how does it feel to lose your fiancé before you got the chance to marry him?"

She stopped opening the door and looked up. All the questions ceased as the reporters realized that she was about to speak. Cameras were still taking photos as Kate continued to look over the press. "Richard Castle is not dying, his injuries are not life threatening. The Mayor and Judge Markway are friends of Rick's and visited him after regular visiting hours so not to disrupt other families visiting their loved one. Any other questions should be submitted to Paula Haas for consideration. Rick is enjoying some quiet and rest at home with his family and we really would appreciate if you let him heal in peace."

As the press digested what she said, and before they could ask any more questions, Kate opened the door to her cruiser, got in, turned on the ignition and then pulled away from the building. After spending lunch at home, she was going back to the precinct and more paperwork…lots and lots of paperwork. She didn't appreciate the press and their intrusive and ridiculous questions at all.

Stepping out of the elevator she saw Esposito running to his desk with a handful of paper towels. Nearing her desk she saw him trying to mop up a soda he'd spilled on his desk. On the floor she saw half of a sandwich and the remains of a bag of chips.

"What happened here?" she asked as she sat down in her chair.

Not looking up from his cleaning, Esposito said, "Ya know, I'm even willing to pay for him and Jenny to elope. Bet I can get a lot of folks here to chip in on that too."

Kate smiled and saw that Ryan wasn't at his desk. She immediately looked toward the breakroom and saw him standing there, phone in hand, nodding his head to whatever Jenny was probably telling him. Looking to the left, she saw a small line of officers waiting for Ryan to open the door so they could get their lunch.

"Doesn't look like he's making many friends here either," Kate replied.

"You got that right." Suddenly Esposito stopped, looked up at Kate and asked, "How's Castle?"

Kate noticed that several other officers in the bullpen lifted their heads to hear how Rick was, which made her almost choke up because she was so happy. 'Really! Who the heck is this woman who looks like me,' she thought. 'Choking up because I'm happy?'

None of that came out in words however, she simply smiled and said, "He's doing much better. Even though he's only been home for a couple of days, his headache is completely gone and he's able to walk with only a slight limp, which should stop once the pain of the stitches is gone."

"That's good to hear. I'll call later to see if he wants some company, play some Halo or Madden."

Kate turned back to her desk and said, "He'll like that."

She became engrossed in her paperwork, only marginally aware that Esposito was still cleaning up his desk, when Ryan walked up to her, held out his cell phone and said, "My future bride and I want to know how Castle is doing."

Kate reached out her hand and Ryan gave her his phone. "Jenny? Hi, it's Kate. Thank you. No, he's doing very well actually. I know, I know, the press is being ridiculous. They said what? I told them there was nothing wrong at all! Well don't believe everything you hear, he's walking with a slight limp and has actually put a lot of time into writing."

Her head tilted to the side and a smile on her face, Kate was silent for a few seconds while listening to Jenny, then quietly said, "Thank you, Jenny. Thank you. I hope it didn't take away from your wedding, after all it's less than a week away now."

There was another pause and Kate said, "Oh you can bet, we'll be there."

After a few more pleasantries, Kate said goodbye and handed the phone back to Ryan who said goodbye to Jenny and disconnected the call. He then leaned down near Kate and said, "Jenny was so worried when she heard what happened to Rick, and then was thrilled to hear how it all turned out."

Kate was glad to hear that Ryan was able to say so much but make it sound like nothing in case someone else was listening. Although it had only been three days, her marriage to Rick was still a secret.

Kate smiled back at Ryan and said, "I'm just so happy that everything worked out as well as it did, and Jenny isn't upset at all."

Ryan shook his head and replied, "No she wasn't, especially when she heard all the details you gave us. She can't wait to see you both on Sunday."

Esposito walked up, having just returned from throwing away all the food that had spilled earlier and asked, "How's Castle's naked head coming along?"

Kate chuckled and answered, "We're working on it. We may have to take away his internet though; he's trying to buy hair from China. Personally I think a little makeup on the scalp, mascara or eyebrow pencil will cover the small bare spots."

"Just get some black spray paint," Esposito said, chuckling.

"Ha. Ha. Big help there Esposito," Kate replied.

"Wait a minute," Ryan added, "There _is_ some sort of spray stuff for bald heads. I saw it on an infomercial once when I couldn't sleep."

"Bro, I was joking!"

"But the stuff works," Ryan said.

Esposito shook his head but Kate asked, "What do you mean it worked? What is it, some kind of washable paint?"

"No, a kind of spray on powder that stays on the head. On the infomercial they used it on a guy with thinning hair and it looked like it worked."

Kate smiled and said, "That's ok guys, we'll think of something." Then turning to Ryan added, "We definitely will be there, don't worry."

Kate turned back to her desk and her paperwork, but she still heard Esposito ask Ryan, "Don't tell me you believe that stuff? Next thing you'll say is you've called those psychic hot lines."

Kate didn't hear what Ryan said, if anything, but she definitely did hear Esposito say, "Bro! I am _so_ embarrassed."

.

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Kate did not run into any press when she went home at the end of her shift. She merely drove through the back entrance and into the secured parking garage. There was never any doubt about Kate having her own space, especially after the money talk with Chris when she found out Rick owned the building. Of course, his neighbors and the people who worked there didn't know that. He owned it through several dummy corporations, and everyone thought he was just another tenant. Kate decided that she liked it like that. The neighbors on the other floors were nice, quiet and unobtrusive, something she valued.

No one else entered the elevator and she had a quiet ride up to the loft and then a short walk to the door. After she entered and closed the door behind her she could smell something wonderful coming from the kitchen. Putting down her bag and keys, she walked to the closet to hang up her coat when she heard Rick's voice exclaim, "Kate's home!"

She couldn't help but smile at the childlike joy in his voice as she heard Alexis say, "Dad you don't need to yell so loud. I'm trying to study."

"I want to tell the whole city, the whole country, that the most amazing woman in the world married me…and what are you studying for? You finished all your classes."

"Preparing for college Dad, just because I'm technically out of school doesn't mean I stop learning."

As Rick and Alexis continued to banter back and forth, Kate reflected on the difference between now and three days before, when she came 'home' while he was still in the hospital.

_Kate walked into the loft and looked around, the feeling of 'home' almost complete…it was just missing Rick's presence. As she walked into the living room, she saw Alexis sitting on the couch, looking at a photo album, and she walked over to join her._

_When Kate sat down, she looked at the book in Alexis' hands and saw photos of Rick and Alexis when she was first starting school. The big smile on Alexis' face contrasted with the pained look on Rick's, and Kate had to smile at the love he had for his little girl. His look showed how much he would miss her being around all day._

_When Alexis spoke, it was so soft that Kate had to strain to hear. "This is what it's going to be like from now on, isn't it?"_

"_What do you mean Alexis?"_

_Alexis looked up from the album and said, "Dad and Gram."_

"_What about them?"_

_Alexis looked down at the photos again and said, "All my life it's been Dad who's taken care of me. Dad was there when I got hurt, and he's the one who always watched over me. Grams also helped, but it was always Dad who was there to hold my hand…" _

_Alexis' voice trailed off and Kate said, "Yes?"_

"_Seeing Dad in the hospital…it just brought things into focus. One day it will be _me_ taking care of him._

_Kate put her hand on the girl's arm and said, "Alexis…"_

_Alexis turned to look at Kate and interrupted, saying, "I know he's only in his 40's, and he's far from old, but…" Alexis paused a moment and said, "Although Grams is out and about on her own and is going to move into the apartment over her acting school, it dawned on me tonight that Dad has been taking care of her for the past few years. A reversal of what it was when he was young and she had to take care of him."_

_She paused and looked back at the photo album, "Even though you know something intellectually, doesn't mean you really know it. Tonight seeing Dad in the hospital, needing care, it just brought home the fact that some day he will be relying on me the way that I always relied on him."_

_Tears appeared in Alexis' eyes and Kate put her arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. "Alexis, that's the joy and pain of life. It's only since I've known your dad that I understand what my mother used to tell me, and show me. From the moment we're born we start to die. It can be a long and drawn out process or like what I deal with day by day, quick and unexpected; but we are all mortal and we all need support and help. It's just so much better when it comes from those who love you."_

"_I don't want him to get old Kate, I don't want Grams to get old and I don't want you to get old either." Alexis laid her head on Kate's shoulder and said, "Sometimes I wish everything could just stay the same, forever. Know what I mean?"_

_Kate kissed the top of Alexis' head and said, "I do sweetie. There are so many days I wish I could relive, just for another moment to spend with someone, or to change something that happened, but that isn't part of what life is about, and as much as I wish and pray and hope, I can never go back and change anything."_

_Alexis touched a photo and said, "This is one of my favorites. I was looking forward to starting school and Dad wasn't happy about it at all. Grams told me he looked into home schooling, just to keep me home, but she talked him out of it…that what was best for him wasn't necessarily best for me."_

_As she caressed the photo Alexis said, "I can't picture him with grey hair Kate, not with wrinkles or arthritis or any other problems. To me he has always looked like this, young and strong and simply my dad. To see him in the hospital made me realize that as many years that I have with him, it will never be enough."_

_Kate needed to get Alexis out of her mood, it wasn't good to dwell on the future like that, so she shook the girl's shoulder and said, "You think he's going to change overnight? Sweetie, you're going to be stuck with him and with me for at least another fifty years or more!" _

_Alexis looked up with a small smile and Kate continued, "Just think of all the fun we'll have! Razing you about your boyfriends, embarrassing you at college graduation, threatening your fiancé, holding your children and when we baby sit, because I know you'll plan on us doing that, just think how much sugar you're dad will fill them up with before he hands them back to you!"_

"_Oh no! Children on a sugar high!" Alexis laughed._

_Giving the girl, no, the young woman a kiss on her forehead, Kate said, "Don't worry about it Alexis. One day you will need to hold our hands when we need support, when we can't do the things we do now. That day is a long way away, but for now, let's just live and enjoy what life gives us, ok?"_

_Alexis nodded her head and softly said, "Have I told you how much I love you?"_

_Kate looked surprised and Alexis said, "Well I do Kate, very much." Then with a big smile added, "And if you and Dad are planning on needing a lot of taking care of when you get old, you'd better give me plenty of brothers and sisters to help."_

_Kate laughed and said, "We'll work on that kiddo, we'll work on that."_

As the voices in the kitchen continued and Kate returned from her memory, the last things she and Alexis said to each other stood out in her mind, and she understood that she'd made the right decision. She would be seeing Lockwood next week for her scheduled appointment…her last appointment.

Taking off her shoes, she walked into the kitchen, gave Rick a kiss on the cheek and looked at the stove where she saw a pot and two pans. "What smells so good?"

"That, my dear wife, is for me to know and you to delight over later." He shook his head and struck a dramatic pose before saying, "I'm not telling!"

Kate smiled, turned from Rick, winked at Alexis and after walking past him, quickly turned back and put her arms around him. "Not even if I give you a backwards hug and tell you I love you?" she asked coyly.

As she kissed the back of his shirt he said, "Pork chops, couscous and sautéed vegetables."

"Mmmm, sounds as good as it smells."

He patted her hands, which were still around his waist, and said, "Go sit down and relax, I've got this."

She loosened her hold on him and he turned in her grasp to face her. Looking up she checked his face for any sign of his overdoing things and asked, "Are you sure?"

He lowered his head and gave her a soft kiss, then said, "I'm sure. I'm doing better every day. Go bother Alexis; she shouldn't be studying if she isn't in school."

"Dad!"

Kate walked out of the kitchen and around the island, took Alexis' hand and said, "Come on, we'll go in the living room to talk."

"Don't let her take her books Kate!" Rick called from the kitchen and Kate and Alexis, without her books, walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

Before Kate could say a word Alexis asked, "Did you see Dr. Parish today?"

"Yes I did and before you ask, she had a nice talk with the Chief Medical Examiner this morning. Lanie believes that your application alone would get you an internship, the recommendations of several officers as well as the Captain was simply icing on the cake."

"Really!" Alexis squeaked? "Do you really think I'll get in?"

Kate smiled at Alexis, patted her hand and then said, "I should wait till you get the official letter tomorrow, but you have been accepted and you can start working with Lanie as early as Monday."

Alexis threw her arms around Kate and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She then put her head down and said, "Don't tell Dad, I want to surprise him!"

With a puzzled look on her face Kate asked, "Why did you lower your head to say that?"

With her head still lowered Alexis answered, "Because Dad is watching us and he can read lips."

"He can?"

"He learned how to do it for a character in one of his books. Gram and I used to talk to him all the time without actually saying the words."

Kate raised her eyebrows and said, "Really?" Then turning towards the kitchen, she saw Rick watching them with a smile on his face. Kate smiled at him and then mouthed the words, "Are you listening to us?"

Rick's eyes widened and he quickly turned back to the kitchen. Alexis laughed and Kate turned back to her with a smile. "Looks like he's pretty good at reading lips," she said.

Alexis replied, "When I was little we'd go to the park or to a café and Dad would watch the people and tell me what they were saying. Then we'd try to determine if they were spies or aliens."

"Spies or aliens?"

Alexis nodded her head and said solemnly, "You have no idea how many aliens there are in New York Kate, 'Men in Black' didn't even come close."

Kate shook her head in mock distress and said, "Oh no, don't tell me that I'm going to be the only adult in this family!"

With a big smile on her face Alexis said, "Don't worry Kate, we'll still love you."

Before Kate could respond, Rick called out from the kitchen, "Rub a dub dub, here comes the grub!"

Kate put her head in her hands and said, "I'm doomed," as Alexis patted her shoulder.

.

.

It was Friday morning, and since Kate's team would be attending Ryan's wedding on Sunday, they had no case and were only assisting Karpowski with an investigation.

When Rick came in with Kate that morning, the first time since he was injured, everyone applauded his entrance. His protection of Kate was considered romantic by some, heroic by others, but everyone in the homicide division realized that Castle put his own life on the line for Beckett, and that was the ultimate expression of partnership. More than ever, Castle was considered one of their own.

Esposito and Ryan pretended not to look, but Kate saw as they checked out the back of Rick's head. She smiled when they couldn't see where his stitches were and recalled the experience this morning of covering them up.

"_Hold still."_

"_But it tickles!"_

_Kate sighed and Rick could tell she was rolling her eyes as she said, "If you want to come in today, and you don't want your stitches to show, you either wear a hoodie or let me do this."_

_Rick squirmed in his seat and asked, "Are all eyebrow pencils this ticklish?"_

"_I once told Roy you were a nine year old on a sugar rush…I need to revise that down, don't I?"_

"_And this is a surprise?"_

"_I only have a little more to cover and then we can go, can you sit still for just another half a minute?"_

_He tipped his head to the side and said, "I'll try."_

_Kate hadn't even lifted the pencil to his head and he started to fidget. After a few moments of that, Kate turned him around so she could look him in the eyes and said, "You know, I just realized there's a simpler way to do this."_

"_Oh yeah? What's that? Anything is better than being tickled!"_

_Kate replied brightly, "Let's go down to maintenance and see if James has a vice! We can stick your head in it and no matter how much it tickles you won't be able to move!"_

_At the mention of the vice his eyes widened, then he narrowed them at her and said with a sigh, "Married only a few days and already the thrill is gone."_

"_Half a minute Rick, just half a minute."_

_Turning his head he said, "Ok Kate, whatever you need to do…but be warned that when I'm well enough, I fully intend to put the thrill back in this marriage!"_

_She bent down and kissed the top of his head, then smiled and said, "Silly man."_

_He put his hand up and covered the hand she had on his shoulder, "Love you," he said softly._

"_Love you too," she replied. "Let me cover this last stitch and then we can leave."_

"_I can't wait to get back, it feels like forever!" Rick said._

_Kate snorted, "It's been less than a week, and look how much you've been able to write."_

_Rick smirked and said, "Having my muse with me all the time really get's the juices flowing…in more ways than one."_

"_What did I tell you about calling me your muse?"_

"_Ahh, it was so long ago I forgot."_

"_You're just starting to get rid of that limp, you really don't want your legs broken now, do you?"_

"_But we're married!"_

"_Some things don't change, now be quiet and let me finish."_

Kate smiled at the memory and soon they were all hard at work assisting Karpowski. A few hours later Rick and Kate were staring at the murder board, looking for anything that Karpowski may have missed, when Esposito walked up to them and said, "We've got a witness waiting. Name's kinda weird, like a combo of Chinese and French. LaFong."

Beckett asked, "LaFong?" Just as Castle asked in a delighted voice, "Carl LaFong?"

Ryan said, "Yeah, Carl LaFong," at the same time Esposito asked, "How did you know?"

Rubbing his hands together Castle said, "Oh, this is just too good!"

Looking a bit put out at his glee Kate asked, "What's so special about his name?" Just as Esposito asked, "Do you know him?"

With a smug look on his face Rick replied, "It's a phony name."

Looking unconvinced Kate asked, "What makes you think that? This is New York, Rick. When I started on the force one of the first people I ever brought in was named Imaleen Hamm."

Ryan nodded and said, "One of my first arrests was a guy actually named Rhett Butler."

Rick turned to Esposito who shrugged his shoulders and said, "Not me, I only ever got normal criminals."

Ryan mouthed the words, 'normal criminals?' at Kate when Rick said, "The name is from a 1934 W.C. Fields movie called 'It's a Gift,' and it's one of the funniest scenes in the film!"

"It's a Gift?" Kate asked.

"Oh it's a great film, Fields plays a guy named Bissonett but his wife pronounces it Bissonay. He owns a grocery store, or works in it, I can't remember…oh! And there's this great scene with a blind guy and some kumquats…"

"Rick, Carl LaFong?"

"Oh, right. There's a salesman who asks Fields if he knows a Carl LaFong. It's a classic Kate, the salesman asks 'Do you know Carl LaFong? Capital ell small ay, capital eff, small oh, small en…" Rick paused as he saw the faces of the three detectives, then said, "…and you really don't need to know that do you?"

Kate shook her head and said to Esposito, "Go get his real name."

As Esposito and Ryan went to question their witness, Rick turned to Kate and said, "I have an old VHS tape of it around somewhere Kate, we should watch it sometime."

Kate nodded her head as she stared at the murder board, and soon she and Rick were sitting on the edge of her desk, going over what they had so far. This was one of the things she enjoyed most with Rick, coming up with theories to build a case, it was the first thing that started to change her feelings of having Rick follow her around in that first year. She'd never had a partner who was so in tune with her own thinking, and whose mind could move as quickly as hers did. In fact, sometimes she had to catch up to Rick.

They were still looking over the murder board when Esposito and Ryan came back.

"What's his real name?" asked Kate.

Ryan sat on the edge of her desk next to Rick and said, "Peters."

Standing in front of the murder board and looking at Kate, Esposito added, "Yeah, Peter Peters."

Kate was about to say something when Rick exclaimed, "Peter P. Peters? No way!"

All three looked at Rick and Kate raised one eyebrow. Sitting on Castle's right side, Ryan saw Beckett's eyebrow go up and realized it was part of that secret language she and Castle shared. Sometimes it was down right spooky how they knew just what the other was thinking, or going to say. Thinking it was still some form of ESP, he almost missed when Castle began to explain.

"Peter P. Peters, aka Petrov."

"Petrov? He's Russian?" Kate asked.

Rick shook his head, "American. Actually he's Fred Astaire."

All three looked at him as if he grew another head, and Rick sighed, "Honestly, don't you people ever watch classic movies? 'Shall We Dance', 1937 Astaire, Rogers film with a fantastic Gershwin score."

Kate was about to say something when he said, "Oh the songs in that movie were classic Gershwin, 'They all Laughed at Christopher Columbus', 'They Can't Take That Away From Me'…what a wonderful song." He turned to Kate and said, "I think of you whenever I hear it. Oh! And don't forget 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off.'" Before they knew it he was singing, "You say tomato and I say tomahto, you say potato and I say potahto, tomato, tomahto, potato, po…" He paused when he saw their faces then said "…and you really don't need to hear that either, do you?"

Kate shook her head as Esposito went back to discover the real name of their witness. Kate watched with a mixture of affection and exasperation as Rick limped to the break room for a coffee. Ryan looked around the room and seeing no one nearby, leaned over to Beckett, tapped her shoulder and softly spoke in a tone that said this should explain everything, "You married him."

Kate turned to him and with a mixture of happiness and awe on her face said, "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"

As Ryan left to join Esposito, Kate followed her husband to the break room. 'My husband', she thought to herself, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought that she, Kate Beckett, was married. Married to a man who saved her life, in more ways than he, and she, would probably ever know.

At the door to the break room Kate stopped and simply looked at Rick as he made two coffees from the machine he'd bought for the homicide division. She found herself luxuriating in the fact that he was hers.

"For crying out loud Beckett, stop undressing him with your eyes!" Kate turned to see Karpowski next to her with a big smile on her face. "You practically live with the man; you've seen it all already."

Kate simply chuckled and looked back at Rick who was now standing with two cups of coffee in his hand. "Why do I suddenly feel like a side of beef?" he asked.

Walking in to take the cups from him, Kate replied, "Filet mignon Rick, only the filet mignon."

.

.

They were sitting in the break room finishing their coffee when Rick turned to Kate and said, "I can't believe his name is really Smith."

Kate rolled her eyes and Ryan said, "We know Castle, believe me, hearing you say that a few dozen times makes it sink in, you know?"

As Ryan took another sip of the strange green substance, Kate asked, "Are you and Jenny still on that stuff?"

"Yep, right up till the wedding."

Kate shook her head and took another sip of her coffee as Esposito walked in, eating a donut. "I don't know what bakery these came from, but they're the best I've ever had!" he exclaimed as he stuffed the rest of it in his mouth.

Ryan gave him a dirty look and left the break room and Kate turned to Esposito, who was pouring himself a coffee and asked, "Why are you doing that?"

"I like coffee."

"Esposito!"

He gave Kate a quick smile, nodded his head at Castle and said, "Your boy over there is injured, so I can't tease him, and Ryan…well he just sets himself up for it, you know?" he said with a smug look.

Rick turned to Kate and said, "How quickly he forgets that Ryan always gets his revenge."

Kate turned to Rick, smiled and said, "I just hope that Lanie isn't caught in the cross fire, between her and Ryan, Esposito won't stand a chance."

Rick noticed that the smug look on Esposito's face suddenly changed to one of deep concern. "Uh, I better go talk to my partner," he said and quickly left the room.

As Rick watched Esposito hurry after Ryan, Kate asked, "You aren't planning on driving to the wedding on Sunday, are you?"

Rick shook his head and turned to face Kate and said, "Nope, I asked Paval and he'll drive."

"You're getting a limo?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Rick, we don't want to outshine Kevin and Jenny."

"But Kate, we can't depend on getting a taxi, and if we don't have a ride then one of us can't have anything to drink…and remember that I picked the wines. Don't you want to taste the wines I chose?"

"It is an Irish wedding, isn't it?" Kate asked.

"Oh yeah. And you always like to tell me how much you can handle…"

"Ok, but no limo!"

"But that's what Paval drives."

Kate reached into her pocket and took out her phone, "Let me call Yana. I'm sure they have a town car or something not so flashy."

As Rick watched, Kate tapped her screen a couple of times and then said, "Hi Yana, it's Kate."

Those were the only words he understood as they immediately started speaking in Russian. When Kate looked at him with a smirk on her face, he knew that the two of them were talking about him and it probably wasn't very good.

After a few more minutes, Kate disconnected the call and smiled at Rick. "Paval will have a town car for us."

"That's it? All that Russian was to simply say we have a town car?"

"Well that, and filling her in on the news."

"The…oh, _that_ news."

With a slight smile on her face Kate said, "Yes, _that_ news. And for your information, you are not the only one in trouble with Yana."

Rick smiled and said, "Oh good. It's always nice to have company when you're walking the plank."

Kate patted his knee and said, "It's not that bad Rick." Then standing up she said, "Come on, it's almost time to leave and I want to make sure Ryan hasn't done anything to Esposito yet."

Rick chuckled as he got up to follow her back to the bullpen.

.

.

Sunday morning arrived and it was one of the warmest days in January, with a clear blue sky. Kate was sitting at the breakfast bar talking with Alexis and Martha when she looked up at the clock and saw it was 11am. "Honestly, how can he get dressed so quickly for a crime and take forever for a wedding?" she asked.

"Um, is that a rhetorical question Kate?" Alexis asked.

Unaware she'd spoken the question out loud, Kate said, "Yes? No? I really don't know Alexis," then got off the stool and headed to the bedroom calling out, "Rick! It's 11am, Paval will be here in fifteen minutes!"

As Kate disappeared into the office and from there to the master bedroom, Martha turned to Alexis and said, "It's so nice to have someone else in charge of your father."

Kate entered the bedroom to see Rick standing in front of the mirror, trying to decide what tie to wear.

"You still haven't made up your mind?"

He turned from the mirror and with both ties in front of him asked, "Which one should I wear?"

She quickly turned away and entered the master closet where she pulled out a tie and handed it to him, taking the other two from his hands. "This one."

Holding the new tie he had a puzzled look on his face and asked, "Why this one? Other times I wore this suit you told me to wear those ties."

Kate pointed to the tie in his hand and said, "Because this one brings out the color of your eyes, the others do absolutely nothing for you with that shirt and jacket."

As he was putting on the tie he asked, "Then why did you tell me to wear them?"

"You weren't mine then, and although we weren't dating I decided it wouldn't hurt to make sure you didn't look as good as you could."

He turned from the mirror and with a soft smile said, "You were jealous? You had no need to be you know."

Kate walked up to Rick, straightened his tie and then patted it on his chest. "I kinda knew, but I also didn't." At his raised eyebrow she added, "It's a complicated girl thing Rick, you'd never understand."

He leaned down, gave her a light kiss on the lips, and murmured, "Not smudging, your lipstick is still good."

She patted his chest one more time, said, "Smart man," then grabbed his hand and led him out of the bedroom.

As they went to the closet to get their coats, Alexis came over and said, "Ooo Dad, that tie is perfect." Then turned to Kate and said, "Good choice Kate."

Mumbling how quickly children turn on you, Rick and Kate gave Alexis and Martha hugs and kisses and then left for the parking garage to meet Paval.

Exiting the elevator Kate sighed happily, as Paval was just arriving. He pulled up in front of them, quickly got out of the car and opened the door before Rick could. Rick smiled meekly and shrugged his shoulders, forgetting that Paval never allows the passenger to open the door. Giving Rick a stern look, Paval invited them to enter the car.

Kate smirked and said, "Now you're in trouble," as she got in the car and Rick quickly followed. Paval closed the door and after getting back in the car said, "Good morning Mr. Castle, Mrs. Castle."

Rick and Kate looked at each other and huge grins came on their faces. Kate turned back to Paval and said good morning, and before she could say anything else, he spoke to her, "Yana and my Anna started talking on Friday after your telephone call, and they will contact you to finalize the time for the party."

Rick had a puzzled look on his face and he asked, "Party? What party?"

"The one that my sister and wife are planning to celebrate your wedding," Paval said.

Rick looked to Kate who shrugged her shoulders and said, "Yana said something about making arrangements, but she never said what for…although she was very happy to hear we were married, she wasn't happy that we hadn't had a traditional Russian celebration."

"It can't be this Thursday, Paval. We're going to a shindig for the mayor."

"Not to worry Mr. Castle, from what my Anna said we will need a weekend to celebrate properly."

Rick's eyes widened and he looked at Kate in alarm. She smiled and patted his arm then said, "I'll talk to Yana."

The rest of the trip to the church was uneventful and forty minutes later, Rick and Kate were standing by the entrance talking to Lanie when Ryan walked up to them.

When she saw him Kate said, "Oh look how happy he is," and snapped a photo.

As he came up to them Ryan said, "I'm so glad you're here."

Kate smiled and said, "Where else would we be?"

Ryan gave her a hug and a kiss before turning to shake Rick's hand. Kate said "You look fantastic" just as Esposito walked up and said, "Yeah, we clean up pretty good, don't we?"

Lanie said, "Speak for yourself Javi, I look good all the time!"

Just then, Rick looked over Ryan's shoulder to see Jenny and her bridesmaids on the stairs with her father: "Oh Jenny, you look amazing."

Jenny smiled and said, "Thank you Rick."

Ryan tried to turn around and Kate held him back saying, "No, no, no, no. You can't see the bride yet."

Esposito said, "You ready bro?"

"I guess so Javi, let's go."

Ryan and Esposito walked in with Lanie following, and finding themselves alone, Rick turned to Kate, offered her his arm and softly said, "Ready Mrs. Castle?"

Kate wrapped her arm in his and said, "Yeah, Rick, let's go in," and gave a little wave to Jenny as she and Rick entered the sanctuary.

Hours later, when the reception was winding down, Rick, Kate, Javier and Lanie were sitting at their table, tired, happy and a little worse for wear from all their partying. Rick looked down at Kate's feet and said, "So why did you bother with those heels if you didn't plan to wear them long?"

With her foot she nudged one of the shoes she'd taken off a couple of hours before. They were now sitting under the table along with Lanie's. "They're good for a lot of things Rick, but not for dancing."

Rick was going to say something when Lanie spoke up, with a slight slur in her voice, "Castle, you know what they're good for; I've been watching you ogle her legs for years!"

"Uh…"

Kate leaned over to Rick and said in a low voice, "Come on handsome, I like this song," then grabbed his hand and led him out to the dance floor. Kate immediately fell into the rhythm with him and the two once again made a striking couple on the floor, Kate's grey outfit matching perfectly with Rick's suit.

They'd danced almost every dance together, only three times dancing with others, Kevin and Jenny, Lanie and Javier and Roy and Evelyn. Otherwise, Rick and Kate didn't leave each other's side the entire afternoon.

As they danced to the romantic notes of 'Never my Love', Rick leaned down and whispered in Kate's ear, "Those shoes aren't good to walk in either."

Her head resting on his chest just below his shoulder, Kate murmured, "Shhh, I'm enjoying a dance with my husband."

"So I shouldn't mention how you tripped when we walked down the aisle after Esplanie?"

"Not if you have any thoughts of helping me out of this dress later."

"Hmmm, have I told you how wonderful you feel in my arms?"

He could feel her grin before she looked up and said, "Great answer." Then she put her head back down and they simply moved along with the music, totally lost in each other, and never seeing the smiles that were being sent their way.

.

.

Monday morning found the team down by two. Ryan of course was on his honeymoon for two weeks, and Castle had been put on light duty by Captain Montgomery. When he tried to argue that he was perfectly fine, Montgomery simply said he was the captain and if Rick wanted to be in his precinct he had to follow his rules.

This elicited smiles from Kate and Esposito and a frown that pretty much stayed with Rick all day long. He was essentially tied to his chair for the rest of the week, but since the team was still supporting Karpowski, he stayed and assisted in every way he could other than doing paperwork.

The next two days went quickly by and Wednesday morning found Kate alone at her desk while Esposito was helping book a suspect and Rick had an appointment with Paula.

Kate was going over the latest information on the case they were following when she was interrupted.

"Beckett?" Montgomery asked, "What are you doing here?"

Kate looked up from her desk to see the Captain standing next to her, "Uh, sir? I work here?"

He tilted his head and gave her a look, "That's not what I mean; you're usually seeing Lockwood today."

Kate shook her head and said quietly, "I saw him briefly yesterday afternoon. I won't be seeing him again, Captain."

Captain Montgomery looked at her for a few seconds and said, "Let's continue this in my office Kate," then turned around and walked through his office door.

Kate got up from her desk and followed him, and at his nod, closed the door behind her before sitting down.

"What happened Kate," he asked softly.

She sighed and started to speak, then stopped. He could see the wheels turning in her head and she tried to put the words together and then she said, "Rick, Alexis, Mom, me," she looked down at her left hand and said, "This ring." She sighed again and said, "I don't know Roy, I guess life happened."

He was silent for a few moments then prompted her by softly saying, "Life?"

Her right hand caressed her engagement ring and she replied, "Life. My life," and she raised her eyes from the ring to look at him, "I guess you can say that my priorities have changed since Rick got hurt. I know…I've _known_ that my life is not what my mother would have wanted for me Roy. It's not what I ever wanted for myself and for the first time since she died, I actually…I actually like my life now. I _love_ my life and the way I'm living it."

He saw both sincerity and confusion in her eyes when she asked, "Am I making any sense, Roy?"

He nodded his head with a soft smile and said, "Perfect sense Kate. You're moving on."

She shook her head and said, "But it feels like I've failed her and I…"

Roy put up his hand and stopped her mid sentence, and in a stern voice said, "Detective Beckett…Kate, you did not fail your mother by moving on with your life. If anything you have been failing her all these years by trying to avenge her."

She looked at him in shock, shaking her head no, and said, "It isn't vengeance Roy, I want justice…"

He interrupted her and said, "No Kate. From that first day I found you in the records room looking at her case I knew you were looking for vengeance. That's why I agreed to Royce's request that you have therapy. I knew you needed to look forward, Kate, not backwards."

At the mention of Royce, Kate felt tears form in her eyes.

"He knew you had the potential to be a great cop, Kate. I knew you had it in you to be the best detective I'd ever have the honor to work with. And Kate, that's what you became. You were all cop. You were all about the case, and while that's a good thing, when it's taken too far it becomes your life and robs you of any chance at happiness. I saw that happen to you and didn't know how to help till Castle showed up."

"Rick?"

"Yeah, Rick. He challenged you. He tested you. He constantly prodded you and I saw you come alive when he was there. I could actually see a spark in your eyes where for years there was none. Not even when you were with Will did I ever see the spark that Rick put there."

Thinking back to those first few cases, especially the first, Kate smiled. Suddenly she saw him kneeling in front of Lanie during that first case, and how upset she was when she saw him there. _"I thought I told you to stay over there," she'd said. _Her smile grew recalling his reply_, "I was lonely."_

Roy saw the smile on her face and said, "That smile is what was missing from you Kate, and he put it there. You have a future ahead of you, a future with a man who loves you and is good for you. Hell, why do you think I ever allowed him to follow you in the first place? The Mayor? Bob only suggested it Kate, I was the one who made the decision."

She looked at him in surprise, "You did?"

"Yep, just me, Kate. Because I could see that Rick was good for you and over these past few years you've proven me right. He is good for you, but you are also good for him, and what the two of you have is so special, you should grab it with both hands and never let it go!"

As Kate sat and contemplated what Roy said, he added, "You can never fail your mother by being happy and having a fulfilling life Kate. On the contrary, you can only succeed in doing what would have made her very happy for you."

Kate sat for a moment then stood up, "Thank you Roy."

"You're welcome Kate." As she turned around and opened his office door he added, "You have no case so take the rest of the day off. Go visit your mom, think about her life and how thrilled she'd be that you found someone who made you happy. Then go back to him and live. Live your life to the fullest Kate.

She smiled, nodded her head, and walked out the door to follow her Captain's suggestion. As she walked to her desk, she didn't hear Montgomery when he took a huge sigh of relief.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: This story has always been about Kate's growth. We've seen it with Rick, aside from his stupidity after 47 Seconds, oh, and with Demming and Gina…anyway, this story is about Kate and her journey to get back to being the person she should have been before her Mom was killed. I hope I'm bringing her there in a manner you enjoy reading. **

**By the way, I wrote the last scene with Roy months ago…maybe I can give Nostradamus a run for his money? **


	26. Chapter 26, How do I love thee?

Is Forever Possible

by RGoodfellow64

Chapter 26, How do I love thee?

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Disclaimer: Geez, for the twenty sixth time, I don't own Castle.

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It was Thursday evening and Kate was sitting with Martha and Alexis. The three women were dressed and ready to go to the Mayor's ball, they were only waiting on Rick who suddenly had a burst of inspiration and was sitting in front of his PC writing a scene to be incorporated into a Nikki Heat book.

From the living room, Kate looked at him sitting at his desk, and said, "I'm glad he took his jacket off before he started, I wouldn't want him to wrinkle his tux. He looks so good in it."

Martha tapped her arm and said, "Don't worry dear; I've seen this happen before. He's learned to take his jacket off before sitting down to write."

"So Grams," Alexis said, "you and Kate were going to tell me how to stay nonchalant when guys show a lot of interest in you."

Kate turned to Alexis and said, "It's all in the way you carry yourself, Alexis. My mom used to be able to walk into a room and grab everyone's attention immediately."

"Kate's right dear," Martha said. "Once you have their attention they can be easy."

"But how do you get their attention in the first place?" Alexis asked.

"Once my greydar finds one, I just usually walk up and let 'em become interested in my sparkling conversation, but Kate does it more quietly."

"I do?" Kate asked at the same time Alexis said, "She does?"

Martha looked at the two of them and said, "You're cute when you do that. Yes, Kate has a quiet, smoldering quality that draws men like flies, and yet when she's not interested can seem like an iceberg to turn them away."

"An iceberg, Martha?"

Patting Kate's knee Martha said, "Kate, when we were waiting for Richard at that lovely little bistro before we went to the theater a few months ago, it was practically all I could do to keep the men away from you. How many untouched drinks did you have in front of you that night?"

"Really?" Alexis asked. "I don't remember hearing anything about this!" she exclaimed. "What happened Grams?"

Now as animated as Alexis, Martha said, "Kate was wearing that green silk over the shoulder dress that your father loves so much, and her hair was down and curling at the ends." Turning to Kate she said, "I must say dear, you really did look exquisite that night."

Kate found herself blushing and could only mumble "thank you" before Martha continued. "Alexis, the place was packed and it seemed there were quite a few unattached men there, who all wanted to become attached to Kate."

"Martha!"

With a little chuckle Martha said, "Oh shush! It's true. You managed to catch the eye of every man in the place the moment we entered. I saw that immediately."

"This is starting to become embarrassing," Kate mumbled at the same time Alexis said, "Quiet Kate! I'm trying to learn things here!"

Turning to her left to look at Alexis and then to her right at Martha Kate said, "I'm beginning to understand why Rick feels he's outnumbered in this house."

As Martha was about to explain more to Alexis, Rick walked out of his office with his jacket on his arm and said, "Ok, I'm ready to go."

Kate mumbled "Thank goodness," under her breath as she got up and lent an arm to Martha, who shooed Kate away and got up from the couch almost as quickly as Alexis. Rick put on his jacket and all four walked to the hall closet to get their coats before leaving. At the elevator Kate reached up and adjusted the collar on Rick's coat just as he said, "There will be some press downstairs, but not many, so we won't be bothered too much on our way to the car."

Shaking her head, Kate said, "As long as I don't hear any more 'we're sorry for your loss, Detective Beckett,' I'm fine with them."

"Four of my friends from school called to tell me how sorry they were about Dad," Alexis said. "Dad had to offer to make Paige a smorlette just to convince her he was ok!"

"Richard! Tell me you didn't do that to the poor girl!"

"Mother, I only offered, unfortunately Paige doesn't have the culinary taste that I do."

Alexis looked at Kate and rolled her eyes which brought a smile to Kate's face. Alexis had that down pat.

They exited the elevator and passed the guard station where Kevin was on duty. Rick waved and said, "Good evening Kevin, not too many of them outside, are there?"

"There's about half a dozen Mr. Castle. Your drivers seem to be so intimidating that they're keeping the press away from the car and doorway."

Martha looked out the window and said, "I see Pyotr by the car and I believe the young man by our front door is Dmitri."

The members of the press who were waiting outside the Loft saw Castle and his party talking to the security guard and got themselves into position to take photos and ask questions the moment the group stepped outside to get to the limousine.

Rick saw the press arrange themselves and turned back to the three women beside him and said, "Ready ladies?"

"Oh Richard, for the love of Pete; there's less than a dozen out there. I had to deal with more than that when I was seventeen!"

"I know Mother, but this is still pretty new for Kate and Alexis hasn't had too much experience as an adult with them either."

"Well you hold on to Kate and I'll hold on to Alexis and let's get this show on the road."

Shaking his head Rick offered his arm to Kate who took it with a smile and the foursome headed for the door.

"Have a pleasant evening Mr. Castle, Miss Rogers, Miss Beckett, and Miss Castle," Kevin said as they were walking out. They each called out the same to him and then walked outside to Dmitri.

As they stepped out the door photos were taken of the four as they made their way to the waiting limo. Dmitri looked impressively daunting as he led them to the car, glaring at reporters who tried to get too close for his comfort.

Questions were thrown out but no one answered till they arrived at the car and Rick made sure the three women were safely inside. Then standing by the door and next to an imposing Pyotr he turned to the press and said, "I realize most of your colleagues are waiting at the Mayor's ball and that you stayed here in the hopes of a quote. You can tell your readers that I am almost completely healed from the minor injuries I sustained last week. I am already back at the precinct and hopefully soon will once again be allowed to go out in the field with Detectives Beckett, Esposito and Ryan. Thank you all very much and now if you will excuse us, we have a ball to attend."

With that, he entered the limo and Pyotr closed the door after him. Dmitri stood by the door in case any reporter tried to get close and as soon as Pyotr started the engine and put the car in gear, he jumped into the front passenger seat and they drove away.

Inside the limo, Martha already had a glass of wine in her hand while Alexis and Kate both had some water. "Richard! Pyotr stocked up on my favorite caviar, wasn't that sweet of him?" Martha said with a little wave of her hand.

Kate looked through the window at Pyotr's reflection in the rear view mirror and smiled. 'Sweet" was not a word that anyone first seeing Pyotr would use to describe him. Huge, scary, ogre-like, perhaps, but sweet, no. Looking in the mirror, she caught Pyotr's eye and Kate had to hold back a giggle as he winked at her. He had definitely heard Martha's comment.

Twenty-five minutes later Pyotr pulled up in front of the hall where the ball was being held, and they prepared themselves for another walk through the press. At least this time they had a red carpet to walk on, with plenty of security to keep the press and others away.

Dmitri opened the door and Rick stepped out first, then he turned back to the car and assisted Kate, Alexis and Martha. They stepped away from the car and Dmitri said, "We will be ready whenever you are Mr. Castle," just before he got back in the car and it drove away.

As cameras flashed around them, Martha gave a big smile, waved at the crowd, then grabbed Alexis by the arm and headed towards the main entry. Rick shook his head with a grin, offered his arm and when Kate took it, they also started walking down the red carpet.

Although questions were called out, Rick and Kate merely smiled until they entered the building where press stations were set up for short celebrity interviews. One of the Mayor's assistants waved them over to a station and as Rick started to head over, Kate let go of his arm.

"Why did you let go?" he asked as he stopped walking.

"This interview is for you Rick, if I'm there all they'll talk about is Nikki Heat and you said this charity is important to Bob…I mean the Mayor." Kate said with a smile.

"But…"

She patted his arm and said, "You go on and answer a few questions, I'll head in and find our seats." She looked towards the door and added, "And look for Alexis and Martha too."

He gave her a puppy dog look but knowing it wouldn't really work anyway, agreed. As he was turning around, he saw Captain Montgomery talking to some people and his wife quietly standing by his side. He nodded his head in their direction and said, "We're sitting with Roy and Evelyn and she's over there looking as bored as you probably feel. Why don't you go with her?"

Kate smiled when she saw Evelyn, gave Rick a kiss on the cheek and said, "We'll be inside." She caught Evelyn's eye and walked over to her. The two women greeted each other, and decided to enter the ballroom to wait for their men. As they entered, Kate saw that Martha had found their seats and was speaking to a distinguished looking older gentleman, while Alexis was at another table speaking to one of the Mayor's younger aides.

Kate watched as Alexis and the aide spoke and had to smile as she saw the smitten look on his face. It was almost as if he was shocked someone as lovely as Alexis would talk to him. Evelyn smiled and said, "She's going to have a long line of broken hearts behind her when she finally settles down."

Kate agreed and the two headed to the open bar and get something to drink. When they got to the bar, they had to wait as quite a few people made their first stop there. After a few minutes however, Kate was able to order for herself and Rick, and Evelyn ordered for herself and Roy. As they stood waiting for their drinks, Evelyn overheard a conversation between two women and brought it to Kate's attention.

The two women were dressed to impress, not simply dressed to kill. They were looking for money and were talking about the eligible men who would attend the ball. Kate smiled, remembering Ruthie who came to these affairs to look for rich, single men. Kate was going to say something to Evelyn about how she caught the "white whale" when one of the women said, "Isn't that Rick Castle?"

That immediately caught Kate's attention and she looked over to their table to see Rick and Roy reading the place cards to find their seats.

"Oh yeah, that's him," the second woman said. She sighed and added, "He sure does know how to fill out a tux, doesn't he?"

Kate smiled and thought to herself that he certainly does and it's even nicer watching him put one on, but as she was thinking this, the first woman agreed and said, "I think I know who I'll be leaving here with tonight."

The second woman replied, "But Mary, isn't he engaged to a cop?"

'You're darn right he is,' Kate thought as Mary said, "So what? He's here by himself which means the engagement may be over or he's not as engaged as they say he is."

Kate stood up straighter and thought, 'Yeah, over as in married and off the market!'

"I don't know Mary…" the second woman said, but Mary interrupted her and said, "If he was mine Shelia, I'd never let him come to one of these things alone, and since he _is_ here alone, he's fair game."

Kate's eyes narrowed as she thought of several ways to get rid of Mary or simply keep her away from Rick. She heard Rick's voice in her head suggesting alien abduction and she smiled and felt her eyes automatically drift his way.

Shelia looked past Mary and suddenly whispered, "Don't look now, but someone else has her eyes on Castle."

Mary turned around to see Kate looking at Rick with a smile on her face. She immediately felt threatened and said, "Excuse me, I haven't seen you around at these events, but there are rules to this and I saw him first."

Kate took her first good look at Mary, and noticed that although she was attractive, most of her looks seemed to have come from a doctor's office and the application of lots of makeup. An idea came to her and feigning ignorance Kate said, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was interfering," then pointing to Rick asked, "Are you talking about that man over there?"

"That's right," Mary said, "Richard Castle, very rich and very handsome. So leave him alone. He's mine!"

"Richard Castle," Kate said, "and you saw him first?"

"That's right," said Mary. "You must be new to the circuit since I haven't seen you before, but those are the rules we follow at these affairs, or else things could get messy with too many women hitting on one man."

"Oh, I didn't realize there were rules about this sort of thing," Kate said. "You're right that I'm new to this."

Mary relaxed a bit and said, "That's ok, we all have to start somewhere, but tonight you don't start with him."

Kate gave a disarming smile, put out her hand and said, "I'm sorry, we weren't introduced."

Mary paused a moment to look at Kate's right hand, then put hers out to shake and said, "I'm Mary, and this is my friend Shelia. And you are?"

Kate gave a big smile and said, "Hi Mary and Shelia, my name is Kate."

Kate was having a lot of fun with Mary and since Rick was still at the table with Roy she decided to have some more. "I was only noticing how well he fit into that tux," she said, adding, "I won't make a move on him but tell me, what's the story about Castle over there?"

"You don't know who Richard Castle is?" Shelia gasped, "He's only been on the top 10 most eligible bachelor list for the past few years…"

"Except during his two marriages," Mary added.

"What makes him so eligible?" Kate asked, trying to hide her smile. Behind her Evelyn had to turn away to hold in the laughter, but she continued to listen.

"Look at him," Mary said, "Not only is he extremely handsome and in great physical shape, but he's rich, very rich…"

"And that's what makes him so eligible," Shelia added, and all three women looked over at Rick at the same time he turned to look at the bar and saw Kate.

As Rick was looking at Kate and smiling, Shelia said, "Look Mary, he's checking you out…and he's smiling! Oh, he's heading your way, get ready!"

Mary straightened her stance and gave a beaming smile at Rick, pulling back her shoulders to make sure her surgically enhanced assets were out in front for his inspection.

Kate was standing behind Mary and Shelia, so when he arrived at the bar he planned to politely apologize for pushing between the two women. The moment he said, "Excuse me," however Mary interrupted, put out her hand and said with a come-hither smile and sexy voice, "Oh, no need to apologize, my name is Mary and I'm _very_ glad to meet you."

With a confused look on his face Rick said, "What?"

Even from behind her, Kate could sense that Mary turned up the charm, and used an even sexier voice when she said, "Now, now, no need to be coy, I saw you watching me, and the feeling is mutual, I assure you."

Kate heard Evelyn try to hold back her laughter and then, to make things even better, Rick looked beyond Mary and with a puzzled look on his face said, "Kate?"

Mary and Shelia turned around to look at her and Kate just smiled and said "Hi, Rick."

As the two women looked at Kate in shock and disbelief, Rick stepped around them, came up to the bar and said, "I've been looking all over for you," before he gave her a kiss.

Kate smiled and said, "I was just passing the time talking to Mary and Shelia here. Evelyn and I were getting drinks for us all; you're just in time to help carry them to the table."

Rick gave a small smile to Mary and Shelia, a bigger one to Evelyn, and went to pick up his and Roy's drinks after putting a bill in the tips jar. Pursing his lips, he threw Kate one more kiss then headed to their table. Kate smiled as she watched him go then heard Mary say, "What the hell just happened?"

Kate looked at Mary and said, "What happened was you just met my husband."

As Mary and Shelia stood there in shock, Kate smiled and said, "It was nice meeting you. I hope you have a lovely evening," then she and Evelyn followed Rick to their table.

Still stunned by what had just happened, Mary and Shelia watched as Rick pulled a chair out for Kate to sit down, then they sighed and started looking around the room.

Pointing to a handsome man by another table Shelia said, "Isn't that one of the Mayor's top aides?"

Mary looked where she was pointing and said, "Yeah, but he seems to be really into the redhead he's talking to."

Shelia gave a big sigh and said, "Ok, let's split up and mingle, there have to be some eligible men here tonight."

As Shelia walked away, Mary took one more look at Rick and Kate and said to herself, "Kate Castle, I never expected her to be right behind me." She started to turn away when a thought came to her and she looked back at the table. "Wait a second, I thought they were just engaged. When did they get married?"

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Friday morning Kate was fixing breakfast with Alexis and Martha was reading the paper and sipping her coffee, while Rick was taking a shower, having slept later than everyone else. Folding the paper Martha said, "Now look at that. Isn't it wonderful? With all the beautiful people who attended Bob's party last night, whose photo do you think they put on page 6?"

Busy with the eggs and bacon, Kate didn't turn around but Alexis walked over to her grandmother and looked at the photo. "Kate, this is a great photo of you and Dad dancing."

Turning over the bacon Kate said, "If it's really good remind me to call Paula to see if we can get a copy of it."

"Oh it's really good Kate," Alexis replied. "In fact it's probably one of the…" she stopped speaking as she read the small story under the photo.

Not hearing anything else from Alexis or Martha, Kate turned around from the stove to ask about the photo and saw them both reading the paper with surprised looks on their faces.

"Alexis?" Kate asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Um, not really wrong, but remember when you told us about that woman who had her eyes on Dad last night?"

"Yes…" Kate said, dragging out the word.

"I think you want to read this yourself dear," Martha said, and handed the paper to Kate.

Kate first saw the photo and noticed that it was indeed a very nice one of the two of them, and then she read the short paragraph underneath while Martha watched her anxiously and Alexis hurried to the stove to watch the breakfast.

The blurb under the photo was small, but it had the potential to be a lot more and Kate had to read it several times before she put the paper down on the counter. When she did, she raised her eyes from the paper and looked at Martha with a puzzled look on her face. "No one said anything, so what makes them write that?" Kate asked.

"Write what?" Rick asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Kate turned to him and immediately noticed how good he looked with his hair still damp and his face unshaven. Without saying a word, she handed him the paper.

He quickly noticed how good the photo was and then read the words underneath, **Richard Castle and Katherine Beckett spent most of the night dancing at the Mayor's Charity Ball last evening. Although she's only wearing an engagement ring, a little birdie told us that the two are now secretly married. Perhaps some more investigating should be done on the writer and his fiancée/inspiration/wife? **

Rick looked up from the paper at Kate and wasn't sure how he would describe the look on her face. Testing the waters, so to speak, he said, "Uh, nice picture isn't it?"

Kate nodded her head and said, "I'm going to call Paula to see if we can get a copy," then turned around to thank Alexis for helping out, before taking over to finish making breakfast.

Rick looked at Martha and Alexis who both had surprised looks on their faces; he nervously cleared his throat and said, "Uh, Kate? You're not angry?"

Putting the eggs and bacon on the assembled plates, Kate didn't turn around when she said, "Nope."

Surprised by her simple answer, and hearing no trace of sarcasm or anger in her voice he said, "Uh, this may be a stupid question but…why not?"

Kate started putting the plates in front of everyone and then took her seat. With a look that held part love and humor she said, "I guess you were probably still under the influence of the drugs, but I distinctly remember marrying you in the hospital," she tapped his plate with her fork and added, "And I fully intend to keep you."

"Huh?"

Putting down her fork, Kate patted his hand and said, "Rick, eat your eggs before they get cold. We _are_ married, and they didn't print anything that was untrue."

"Um."

Kate gave him a look that said 'you're driving me crazy but I love you anyway', and asked, "Do you want those eggs or not?"

"Ahh…"

She smiled and said, "We only needed to keep it a secret so it wouldn't outshine Ryan and Jenny's wedding."

At his surprised look she said, "Rick, you're my husband and I love you."

A huge smile came over his face and Kate could see matching ones on Alexis and Martha. As Kate picked up her fork to start eating again, Martha said, "It's just that we know how private you are dear."

"Thank you Martha, I am, but this is one thing I don't mind sharing." Suddenly a wicked smile came across her face and she nonchalantly said, "Besides, it's good for people to know someone caught the white whale."

Alexis spit out her orange juice and said, "Kate!"

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The rest of the week went by quickly and Kate's team continued to help Karpowski's and Perkins' teams. Paula managed to get an original copy of the photo and Kate had it in a frame on her desk. She and Esposito had to work over the weekend and now that Monday was here, she arrived early to welcome Ryan back from his honeymoon and to try to hold back some of the enthusiastic jokes that Esposito and Rick had planned for him.

Rick would arrive later as he found more inspiration for Nikki and Rook and was furiously typing on his laptop when Kate left for work. Sipping her coffee she gazed at the photo of her and Rick dancing, and thought back to the conversation with Paula when she brought it to her.

_Holding the photo in her hands Kate looked up at Paula and said, "Thank you again for getting this. It may just be one of my favorite photos of us."_

_Paula waved her hand and said, "No problem Kate. Anyone looking at that photo can tell how much in love you two are."_

_Nodding her head Kate said, "Yeah and I think I want it on my desk, to remind me how much I love him when he does something completely outrageous or even worse, reverts to a nine-year-old."_

_Paula laughed and said with a droll voice, "You have my sympathies."_

_As Kate chuckled Paula added, "But really, Kate the press from the Mayor's Ball is fantastic! Everyone is speculating whether you two are married or not."_

_Kate gave a little shake of her head and said, "It wasn't one of my smartest moments, but I really wanted to let that woman know she couldn't go after Rick."_

_Paula smiled and said, "Marking your territory, huh?"_

_Kate smiled back and quietly said, "Yeah."_

"_So when do you want me to post the photos? I think the ones you and Rick chose where the best but I especially like the one where we were all in it."_

"_Let's wait till Ryan gets back from his honeymoon, then I'll check with him since Esposito, Lanie, Captain Montgomery and my dad are all ok with it. Rick has the ok from everyone else and then we can choose when to do the big reveal."_

_Rubbing her hands together Paula said, "Oh my God Kate, this is so much fun!"_

Kate was brought out of her memories when Ryan walked in to a round of backslapping and congratulations from Perkins' team who were just getting off the night shift. With a big smile on his face, he came over to Kate and she welcomed him back by saying, "Be careful when you go to your desk. Esposito's had free reign for the past week."

Looking over at his desk Ryan asked, "Was Castle helping him?"

Kate grinned and said, "What do you think?"

A thoughtful look came on his face and he half seriously asked, "Should I ask the bomb squad to check it out?"

Before Kate could respond she heard Esposito's voice booming out, "Bro! It's about time you came back!"

She looked towards the elevator and saw Esposito walking up with a big grin on his face. The two gave that weird handshake that they still refused to teach Rick and then walked to the breakroom for coffee.

An hour later Rick came in with a coffee and bear claw for Kate, and glanced over to Ryan who was cautiously looking over his desk, said, "Oh this is too perfect!"

Kate turned to him and said, "What's perfect?"

Without moving his eyes Rick answered, "Ryan. Look at him, checking everything out, expecting a bomb or something to go off."

"Well you guys _were_ hanging around his desk an awful lot last week," Kate replied. "It stands to reason that you did something dastardly to it."

A huge grin came over his face and he turned to her and said, "Dastardly? I am so proud of you!"

"Geez Rick, get over yourself, I did go to college you know."

He smiled and took a sip of his own coffee and turned back to watch Ryan.

"So what's perfect about Ryan trying to find your practical jokes and booby traps?" Kate asked.

Rick turned back to her with a smug look on his face and said, "Because my dear Detective, we didn't do a thing to his desk."

Her eyes and mouth opened in surprise and Kate asked, "You didn't? Then why did you spend so much time at his desk?"

The smug look never left his face as he continued to watch Ryan. "We did that to make everyone think we booby-trapped his desk, so when he returned people would tell him to be careful when he sat down."

The smug look lasted only a few more seconds before he called out, "Apples! Apples!"

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Tuesday afternoon Montgomery came out of his office looking for Kate and realized she'd already left for lunch. He was about to turn back into his office when Lanie stepped out of the elevator and headed to Kate's desk. "Dr. Parish, nice to see you again, are you also looking for Detective Beckett?"

"No sir, I'm meeting her for lunch; she just forgot her phone and asked me to pick it up before I meet her."

Behind Montgomery, a man appeared from his office and said, "Captain, if I go along with Dr. Parish I can start my questions and possibly not take up too much time from any other cases they may have pending."

Having found Kate's phone, Lanie looked up as she thought she recognized the voice, and turning from the desk she looked back towards the Captain and saw the man who was speaking. The moment she saw him, Lanie knew she was right. She _did_ recognize the voice. Special Agent Will Sorenson, FBI. 'Damn, what's he doing here?' she thought as she heard the captain say, "That may help out a bit Agent Sorenson, but it might be best to talk here where all the files are."

Sorenson smiled and said, "True, but it will be nice to see Kate again in an informal setting before having to get to business."

She saw Montgomery nod his head in agreement so Lanie said, "I don't think that's such a good idea, Sir. She and I were going to get together for a little 'girl' time, and three would be a crowd."

Sorenson looked at her with a slight frown and said, "This is about a very high profile case and I think…"

"Dr. Parish," Montgomery said, interrupting, "This is about 3XK. They believe he's killing again in Detroit and the FBI has been called in."

Knowing she wouldn't be able to change their minds, Lanie quietly sighed to herself and then told Sorenson to follow her as she left the bullpen.

The taxi ride to the restaurant was quiet. Neither one quite knew what to say, and Sorenson was aware that for reasons of her own, Dr. Parish certainly didn't want him with her when she met with Kate. After about five minutes, the silence was becoming too much for him and Sorenson cleared his throat to speak when Lanie interrupted, "You know she's engaged now. Going to be married this year."

"I heard that. Engaged to the writer who always gets in the way."

"Engaged to the writer who's saved her life too many times to count!" Lanie said with some heat.

He was going to speak when the taxi pulled over to the curb and they got out. Lanie waited for Sorenson to pay and the two walked to the sidewalk in front of Remy's.

When Lanie stopped he said, "Is this where…" and then his voice trailed off as he could see through the window to a booth on the inside. There, sitting side by side were Kate and the writer, Castle. As Sorenson watched Kate, Lanie observed them both and saw a shadow fall over the FBI agent as he studied her friend. Kate was smiling the smile that only Castle could put on her face. Her eyes were shining as she gazed at Castle and listened to him speak. As Rick took a bite of a french fry, some ketchup was left on the side of his face.

Sorenson watched mesmerized as Kate gently put her finger on the side of Castle's mouth, cleaned off the ketchup and licked it off her finger. Never once taking her eyes off his. He then leaned down and kissed her and she reciprocated with enthusiasm.

Sorenson gasped in surprise and Lanie heard him say softly to himself, "She never allows PDA. Never."

Lanie looked at him and felt a bit sad for the man before quietly replying, "She does with the right guy."

"I didn't even hold her hand in public," he softly said, then visibly shook himself as he watched Kate pull back from Castle and an even bigger smile appeared on her face. "I've never seen her smile like that. I've never seen her so happy."

Lanie shook her head and said, "Still want to interrupt her lunch?"

"I don't understand…" he started to say before he turned to look at Lanie and pondered her question before he stood straighter and said, "Yes. This is more important."

Lanie nodded her head and they entered the restaurant and headed to the booth.

To say the remainder of the day was awkward would be putting it mildly. Kate wasn't happy that Will had returned and seemed interested in bringing up things from their past, all while supposedly asking for information about 3XK, aka Jerry Tyson. Snarky little comments about when they were dating were mixed into the conversation before questions were asked.

Although Rick seemed to be unaffected, Lanie started throwing little comments back at Will about how perfect the two were together. Kate was simply tired of the whole thing, and was willing to do her part in answering the questions about the case, but after fifteen minutes, she said they should take this back to the precinct and got up to leave. Rick and Kate never finished their lunch and Lanie asked for her order to go.

Back at the precinct, Kate, Ryan and Rick, spent the next couple of hours in one of the interrogation rooms going over every detail of the case from last year. Sorenson couldn't help but see how Kate put one hand on Castle's and her other hand on Ryan's as they spoke about how they were caught off guard, and Tyson escaping.

Kate was very concerned about Ryan; he had almost gone over the deep end last year when his service revolver, the one that Tyson had taken from him, was used in a homicide. The entire team had come together to support him, since it had even strained his relationship with Jenny.

Sorenson meanwhile tried to use that to show how ineffectual Castle really was, insinuating that if he had been on the case, Tyson would never have gotten away. Kate actually barked a laugh at that, then informed Will that if were not for Castle the FBI wouldn't even have the information that they did.

As worried about Ryan as she was, Kate was even more concerned about Rick. She knew he still had dreams of Tyson, dreams where he was shot, Ryan was shot or even she was shot. And as much and as often as she tried, she could not truly make him believe that he was not to blame for Tyson escaping. That every murder Tyson committed was not blood on his own hands.

Despite Kate's endorsement of Castle, Sorenson found it hard to believe that the killer would just leave Ryan and Castle tied up and walk away. He could also see that his questions were getting to Castle and that gave him a slight feeling of triumph, showing in his eyes that he was better than Castle. He decided he'd push on that, as well as reminding Kate how good they were together, but when he tried to question them again about Tyson's leaving them alive Kate immediately called the discussion closed and got up from her chair.

"But I still have several questions to ask," Sorenson said to her as she told Castle and Ryan to get up along with her.

Castle still sat on the chair, eyes down at the table, feeling more anger at himself than at Sorenson, but Ryan stood up and saw the look that crossed Beckett's face as Sorenson tried to push. There was anger; there were signs she was upset, but mostly he saw that her eyes looked both icy cold and furiously hot, she looked ready to ram Sorenson's words down his throat to protect Castle…and him, from any further questions.

Kate was about to explode at Will when Castle quietly spoke, "Tyson said it was to make me suffer. Knowing that he was faster or smarter than me. That I wasn't good enough to catch him and that he would kill again. And to let me know that everyone he killed was due to my failure."

Ryan put his hand on Rick and said, "Castle." It was the only way he knew to let Castle know he was there for him. That he also felt the sense of failure, and he was there to support Castle just as Castle was there to support him a few months before. Looking at them both, Kate knew they were reliving those moments in the motel room and Rick wasn't seeing the table before him, he was seeing Tyson's gun pointing at him.

Kate nodded to Ryan and he left the room as Rick slowly got up from the chair and followed. The look she sent to Sorenson was enough to let him know he'd totally stepped over the line as far as she was concerned.

Sorenson was surprised and somewhat shocked by her reaction and pulled back as she said in a tightly controlled voice, "Agent Sorenson, you are looking for a profile, looking for reasons why Tyson acted the way he did. The FBI has plenty of profilers that you can tap for that information. Rick and Detective Ryan have given you all they have. I suggest you check the files from the case and go back to Detroit to catch the killer rather than waste any more time here."

As she was walking out the door she turned and said, "This is over Will," before she turned and left the room.

Kate walked with Rick and Ryan to the breakroom where she left them sitting at one of the tables. On her way to the Captains office, she stopped at Esposito's desk and quickly told him to go in with them. They were both hurting right now. Knowing exactly what she meant, Esposito walked to the breakroom while Kate went to the Captains office, knocked on the door and entered at his wave.

"Has Agent Sorenson been filled in on the case Beckett?" he asked.

"Yes Captain, he has," she said, and then added, "I strongly suggest that if the FBI needs any further information they send an agent who is more interested in the case than in me."

Montgomery sat up in his chair and said, "Explain."

"Sir, you know that Agent Sorenson and I were in a relationship years ago, unfortunately the last time he was here, during a missing child case, he tried…and failed…to renew that relationship. Although he is aware that Rick and I are engaged, he spent an inordinate amount of time mentioning things from our past, dredging up forgotten and unwanted memories during the discussion, and constantly throwing them in Rick's face. Then near the end he tried to force Rick and Kevin to profile Tyson and explain why they were left alive."

She paused as she saw the look in Montgomery's face. He usually had a good poker face, which had served him well over the years dealing with problems, but now he looked angry. Very angry.

"Honestly sir, after the stunt he pulled here today I'd rather not ever see the SOB again."

Montgomery looked over Kate's shoulder and his eyes hardened even more than before. Without looking at her he said, "Thank you Detective Beckett. I'll take care of the situation." He then said over her shoulder, "Come in Agent Sorenson, I'd like to discuss a few things with you."

Surprised, Kate turned around and saw a stunned Will Sorenson standing behind her. She knew that even if he hadn't heard everything she said, he definitely heard the last. The look she gave him would shatter steel, she was so angry with him and his behavior. Without saying a word, she walked out of Montgomery's office, ignoring Sorenson's plaintive, "Kate?" and walked back to the breakroom to Rick and Kevin.

The last thing she heard as she walked away was Captain Montgomery's cold, angry voice saying, "Close the door behind you Agent Sorenson," as Will went in to speak with the Captain.

The team spent the next half hour in the breakroom, Esposito and Kate sometimes calming, other times soothing and basically being there for Rick and Kevin as they relived in their minds the shame and sense of failure they still felt at not being quick enough to realize that Tyson was really 3XK.

Kate's heart broke as she saw the haunted look in their eyes. One night, when Kate woke him from a nightmare about 3XK, Rick told her that he felt emotionally mauled by Tyson, and the look on his face had her heart aching for him. The feelings he and Ryan usually hid were clearly seen now due to Will's questions. All she and Esposito could do was let them know they weren't alone.

Knowing that Ryan and Rick were reliving those moments in the motel room, Kate quietly stepped away to call Jenny to let her know that Kevin was hurting, and why. The language Jenny used didn't really surprise Kate. Jenny and Kevin had been married for only a little more than a week, but Jenny was very protective of her husband and wasted no time in letting Kate know what she would do to Sorenson if he was ever stupid enough to cross her path. Kate realized that was also the way she was feeling right now.

She would do anything to protect Rick and that Will was the one who opened up Rick's wounds only made things worse, as she felt it was her fault that he did this. If she had never dated Will, then he wouldn't have made the digs at Rick while hitting him with Tyson. Under normal circumstances, Rick could easily have dismissed Will, but in Kate's mind, what Will did today was simply dirty and spiteful. She hoped she never had to see him again.

Sorenson meanwhile, was read the riot act by Captain Montgomery for his behavior. This didn't really bother him much as he considered Montgomery just another police captain while he was a Federal Agent, a Special Agent at that. This feeling of superiority quickly evaporated however when Montgomery made a call to the ADIC of the FBI in New York. The Assistant Director in Charge had almost godlike powers over the agents and special agents under him and Sorenson was shocked to find he was a personal friend of Captain Montgomery.

Shortly afterwards Montgomery personally escorted Sorenson to the elevator to make sure he left the precinct in one piece. The mood in the bullpen was almost volcanic and he wanted to make sure that the only explosion Sorenson faced was from his own superiors, who after Montgomery's call, were extremely displeased with the Agent.

After watching the elevator doors close on Sorenson, Montgomery entered the breakroom and told Kate and her team to head home. Shutting down their computers and getting their things, they quickly closed up and headed to the elevator. The four never said a word as it took them to the parking garage and soon Kate was driving Rick back home. As she was driving he said, "Let's stop at the Old Haunt Kate. I need…I'm not sure what, but I just need to not go home right now."

She nodded her head, patted his knee and said, "Sure Rick," before making a turn to take them to his bar.

Thirty minutes later, they were in his office, drinking some of the rare old scotch he purchased, sitting quietly. Kate knew he had something on his mind other than Tyson, and sooner or later he'd say what it was. It came quicker than she expected.

"I really don't like that guy."

Knowing he was speaking about Sorenson, Kate replied, "I know Rick. Right now I really don't either."

He looked up and stared at her, something in his eyes. Something that she couldn't quite place her finger on till it suddenly dawned on her! "You don't need to be you know," she said.

His eyes widened and he tried to change the subject but she simply said, "You can't fool me Rick. I know that part of you is jealous that I was with Will."

He looked embarrassed and she quickly added, "But there's no need to be."

He sighed and said, "I know Kate, it's just…" he paused and she waited for a few moments before she said, "What?"

"If he hadn't gone to Boston, would you have stayed with him? Would you have married him?"

Kate was caught off guard by the question. This amazing man. This wonderful, sweet, loving and caring man had been blindsided today by someone she once thought she cared for, and all she could do is sit by his side and hold his hand in hers. Well she could do more than that. "No."

"No?"

"No. The relationship was slowly ending before he took the job in Boston, Rick. He didn't know it though. He'd asked me several times to move in with him and I knew I couldn't. I just didn't love him."

She paused a moment and said, "A couple of weeks ago you joked about my number, how many men I'd been with."

He shook his head and said, "Kate, you don't…"

Kate put her finger to his lips and said, "Shhh. Let me say this, it's important to us…to me. Especially to me. My number is one, Rick. Just one."

He was puzzled and she continued, "Everyone who I was ever with, and it wasn't as many as you may think, everyone wasn't you. Till you came along I had one foot out the door. Till you came along I never considered my life even needing a man in it. Till you came along I was content with merely going through the motions of living. My mom's case, my own pain, they determined my life. I was driven to end it and find her killer, to find closure, to do something to take away the loss I felt."

She paused again and took a breath, "Till you came along Rick I always chose death, the weird and 'Beckett flavored' cases were just ways to learn more, to help me try to find my mom's killer. But now I choose life. I choose you. I'm living again and it's all because of you."

She felt tears form in her eyes and knew she had to finish, had to get this out before the totality of the emotions she felt for him wouldn't let her continue. "You are my _one_ Rick. Remember, my one and done? That's you. It has always been you and it will always be you. That's why I am so angry at Will, and angry at myself for ever wasting my time with him, because he hurt you. He went out of his way to use your pain from Tyson to hit you with his own jealousy, because he could never, ever, measure up to you Rick, and he knows it. He knew it three years ago when you first started shadowing me."

Taking the empty glass from his hand and putting it down with her full one, she put her arms around him and whispered, "You will never really know how _grateful_ I am for you, Rick. And I wish, I so wish I could take away all the hurt you feel, because you don't deserve any of it. Not one bit!"

The fierceness in her voice as she spoke sent jolts of electricity through his body. A thing inside him that he didn't know was there, slowly dissolved in the wake of her words. He knew she loved him, everything she said and did proved that in a myriad of ways each and every day; but he never truly understood the depth of her love for him, and a small stone of doubt that he wasn't even aware he still held, was suddenly gone.

He put his arms around her and held her tightly to himself. He was amazed at how this woman of usually few words, completely took away the anguish he was feeling, along with the anger he felt towards Sorenson and himself.

This was his wife. Yet this woman who fiercely defended him, who eased his mind and soul, became more; she also became his life, because he knew that he wasn't living before he met her either.

As he held her and took a deep breath of the cherry scent loved, he realized his number was also only one.

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**AUTHORS NOTE: When you finally find that one person who, for want of a better phrase, completes you, that person who you desire to spend the rest of your life with, the person who you love with your whole heart and soul…when you find that person your only number is One, because honestly, all the others don't count.**


	27. Chapter 27, Steps in the Right Direction

Is Forever Possible

by RGoodfellow64

Chapter 27, Steps in the Right Direction

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Disclaimer: It's August and that means Christmas songs are going through my head, so…Although it's been said many times, many ways…I don't own Castle.

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As she knelt down on the grass, Kate placed a daisy at the foot of the stone. It was always a happy flower in her family. The flower her dad would always sing about when he picked or bought one for her mom. There were times when she was growing up that she wished there never was a song called "A Daisy a Day", but now she could hear her dad singing and her mom laughing as she put one down on her grave.

"Hi Mom, I picked you a daisy but don't expect me to sing, that's Dad's job." Kate sat down and placed her bag by her feet. For the first time since her mother died, she didn't feel like crying. She didn't feel the void where her mother had been. For the first time in a long time, she felt her mother was near. Beside her.

Holding her.

Comforting her.

Loving her.

For the first time since the funeral, Kate smiled. "I miss you Mom, so much every day. Those first minutes after they told us you were gone I wondered how I would ever go through life without you."

Kate sighed and lightly caressed the footstone by her knee and said, "There were times I really didn't want to go on, but I guess that stubborn streak that Dad says I inherited from you kept me going."

She chuckled and added, "He's not the only one who tells me I'm stubborn, but you know that already, don't you?"

She paused and looked at her ring finger, touching the beautifully perfect engagement ring that Rick gave her, then she leaned towards the stone and quietly said, "I married him Mom. I found him, and although I almost lost him from my own stupidity and pride, I got him and I plan on never letting him go."

Kate shook her head and continued, "I don't know what I ever did to deserve him Mom, he loves me unconditionally. He takes care of me whether I want him to or not, and he makes my life lighter and easier." As small chuckle escaped as she added, "And I also understand what you meant when you sometimes told Dad that he drove you crazy."

Kate looked up at the blue winter sky. For some reason in the city, the sky was bluer in the winter than at any other season. Rick probably knew why, he was good with things like that, but she just appreciated the warmer than usual weather and the clear and beautiful sky.

"I really married him Mom; it was me pushing for it all the way. He got hurt saving me, and I just couldn't bear to let another day go by without letting him know that he means the world to me."

She put her hand out on the tombstone and lightly touched it with the tips of her fingers. "He means more to me than anything Mom, and I hope…I think…I _know_ that you understand what I mean."

She pulled her hand away from the stone and pulled her mothers ring from under her blouse and jacket. Tears began to fill her eyes and she said, "I've let you down Mom. Instead of living, instead of finding my own way in life like you wanted, I let your murder define who I am. I let it decide what I will do with my life and how I will live it. I used your murder as an excuse to hide behind. To create artificial walls to keep everyone out. I never allowed myself to care for anyone. To love them or depend on them."

The tears were falling from her eyes and trailing down her cheeks, tugging at the corners of her mouth as she said, "He never gave up on me Mom. He looked beyond Detective Beckett and found Kate. No matter how many times I pushed him away he came back, and each time he did he went further into my heart than before. He did that till my heart was simply full Mom. He filled it up with his love and I am so thankful for him."

A small smile came on her face and she added, "I will remain Detective Beckett at the 12th, but outside of work I'm Kate Castle."

She sniffed a bit and looked closely at her mothers ring. Turning it around in the afternoon light, she quietly sat for a few minutes before she softly said, "I had to make a choice Mom. I made a choice that I always knew you'd want me to take but I was so afraid to do. I had to choose between finding out who ordered you killed or living my life like you would have wanted."

Kate took a ragged breath and looked down at her hand. The afternoon sun was making her engagement ring shine more than she could ever remember it doing before. She felt almost like her mother was blessing her decision. "I took down your murder board Mom. I took it down and gave it to Rick. He can do whatever he wants with it, because I can't…" she paused and swallowed a few times, finding her mouth suddenly dry.

"I don't know why Mom, maybe it's you trying to tell me something, but I just know that if I don't give this up, if I don't give my all to my husband and family…and Mom, I want to. I really, really want to, because I know for a fact that if something happened to Rick, I just wouldn't survive. So I think that you helped me make the decision to walk away from the past and make sure I have a future, because I just feel that if I don't let it go, something terrible will happen. That the whirlpool won't just drag me under again, but drag everyone I care for along with me."

She was still crying, the tears free falling down her face and dripping on the grass. Kate shook her head and whispered, "I went to see Lockwood and told him I wouldn't be back. I know that he sees a lawyer after I leave, and somehow he is in contact with this man that McCallister called 'the dragon'. I'm not going to go after him anymore Mom. If information comes to me then we will decide, but I'm not going to risk everything I have Mom, I can't and I know you wouldn't want me to."

Kate stopped talking and stared at the stone. This was not her mother, this was simply a memorial to her memory, but Kate always felt comforted somehow by coming here and talking. Although she knew in her mind that her mother didn't hear her, she wasn't sure in her heart. As she sat there holding her mothers ring, she recalled her last conversation with Lockwood.

_She entered the room and he was sitting in the seat waiting for her. As always, he simply stared at her as she sat down. She made herself as comfortable as possible in the wooden, un-upholstered chair and looked back at him. He was waiting for the same questions as always. The same questions she asked each week. He would simply stare at her till their time was up and then she'd leave. But she always came back._

_Today though, she didn't start asking questions, instead she looked at her right hand covering her left, and then looked at the bars in the windows, and the door behind him. "Did you ever think that you would end up here when you were a boy?" she asked. _

_She looked back at Lockwood and saw, for the first time, some emotion cross his face. It was confusion. She shook her head and said, "I mean, as a boy, did you hope to one day grow up to be a killer? An assassin for hire?"_

_He pulled himself together again and the confused look left his face. He kept his face immobile, static, like a statue, keeping his eyes on her._

"_Isn't it odd how life works? How the plans we may have for our future change in an instant?" She shook her head and continued, "I never wanted to be a cop. Being a police detective was the furthest thing from my mind."_

_A small smile came on her face and she said, "I loved literature, do you like to read?" Not expecting an answer she just continued, "I love to read, and I decided that I would study literature at college and went to Stanford University to study and determine my career."_

_She shook her head again and looked him in the eye, "My mother was murdered when I was nineteen. Did you ever lose someone you loved, someone who was the most important person in your life? Well I did when she was murdered."_

_Her eyes held on to his as she continued, "You kill people for a living. Do you ever think about the ones they leave behind? Those who love them, who will miss them? At any time in your career did you ever think about them and how you changed their lives?"_

_Something flashed in his eyes, for only a moment and then it was gone. He continued to stare at her, his face stoic as she said, "I became a cop after she was murdered." She paused a moment and said, almost like an aside comment, "I shot and killed the man who murdered her, Coonan was his name." _

_At the mention of the name Coonan his eyes narrowed slightly and Kate said, "I know you as Lockwood, but that's not your real name. Your fingerprints aren't on file; your face isn't on any database we can see. I wondered what it's like to not be real, to be just a shadow, and then it dawned on me, I already know what it's like, because that was my life."_

_He kept staring though she could see again that slight confused look in his eyes. She continued, "For fourteen years my life was put on hold to find who ordered my mother killed. To find that person and bring them to justice. I imagine that the life I gave up for that is similar to the life you gave up to do what you do."_

_She sat back in her chair and asked, "Have you ever wondered what your life would be if you weren't an assassin? Do you think you'd have a family, children?" She gave a slight smile and shook her head, "I know that I never did. I put all that behind me and spent the last fourteen years forgetting who I used to be. What my dreams and aspirations were." _

_She leaned forward on her chair and said, "I don't know about you, Lockwood, but I'm tired of it. You're locked away in here and you'll stay here for a long, long time, but you won't be seeing me any more."_

_For the first time in all the weeks she'd been coming here, his stoic expression changed, he tilted his head and raised his eyebrow in question. _

"_Even though I killed Coonan, it wasn't enough. We captured you, but that wasn't enough. And I finally realize that even if we catch or kill the person who hired you and Coonan, it still won't be enough. But something else is Lockwood. Living and moving on will not only be enough but in time be much more than the pseudo lives you and I are living."_

_She put both hands out in front of her and started to rise from her chair. As she did, Lockwood said the first words that she'd heard since she began her visits all those months before. "You have a ring."_

_Kate looked down at her hand and said, "Yes. Yes I do."_

_He continued to stare at her and she added, "That's why I won't be seeing you again Lockwood. I'm not going to hide in the past, live a life of illusion. I'm moving on Lockwood, and although I doubt you will, I hope that one day you will do the same."_

_She looked down at him and said, "Goodbye, Lockwood," then turned and walked to the door. As she knocked and waited for the guard to open it, she heard him say behind her, "Goodbye, Detective."_

_She didn't turn around but nodded her head and then walked out the door when it opened. She felt a sense of freedom knowing she would not be coming back again._

Kate looked up from her hand and noticed the sun was starting to lower in the sky. "I knew what I did was the right thing to do Mom, but I still felt like I was letting you down. Abandoning you when you would never abandon me if you could help it."

She sighed and said, "Rick likes to joke and tease about his mother, but Martha is a very smart woman. When I told her my decision and mentioned my fear of letting you down, she told me that I could never do that. She said that even though you were taken away from me physically, I still had your love in my heart. That living, loving and being loved would be what you wanted from me. You can't let someone down who isn't here, you only let yourself down."

"Captain Montgomery said pretty much the same thing Mom. Dad has been telling me that for years and now that I have Rick…I want to be _me_ again Mom. I want to be a wife and I want to be a mother. With Rick, I want the things I threw away all those years ago, and with Rick, I have them again. I have myself back again Mom, and I think…no, I _know_ that is what you would want for me."

Kate stood up and placed her mother's ring under her blouse. "Don't think this gets you off the hook though. I'm still going to come around and tell you what's happening in my life. But I think you'll find that my visits will be much happier ones than they've been."

Kate put the fingers of her right hand to her lips, kissed them and then softly touched her fingers on the top of her mother's stone. "I love you Mom. I'll always love you. And although I miss you every minute of every day, I know how much you love me back. One day, and who knows when, but one day I'll be here on your birthday with your grandson or granddaughter, and we'll sing songs and tell you all about our lives. Because you will always be a big part of all our lives Mom. Always."

Kate turned around and walked back to her parked car. She felt like she did all those years ago when her mother would sit on the end of her bed and they'd talk for hours about everything going on in her life. She felt her mother's hand on her while she was talking, and she knew that her mother would be proud of her decision to move on. To make new memories with the man she loved.

As Kate sat in the car, she looked at the time and said to herself, "The man who is right now making me a delicious dinner."

With a smile on her face, Kate headed home.

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Two days later, she was standing in her apartment looking at Rick with exasperation. "You're not helping, you know."

"But…"

"I showed it to Lanie three years ago; when she asked me why I bought it I told her what the saleswoman said. Want to know Lanie's response?" Without waiting for a reply she continued, "She said, and I quote, 'She was working on commission', unquote."

"Umm…"

Kate shook her head and said, "I should have asked Lanie to help me with this."

"But I like helping you clean out your closet!"

Kate turned back to the bedroom and looked at the keep pile and at the donate pile. The only problem was there was nothing in the donate pile. There were a couple of bridesmaid's dresses in the back of her closet that she never liked, but he even put them in the keep pile.

"I've got an idea," she said.

"What?"

"Look at me from the neck down."

"It won't work," he replied.

"Why not? Guy's do that all the time." At his questioning look she added, "I'm a woman in a traditional man's job, Rick. You have no idea how much I had to put up with to get where I am."

He shook his head and answering her question said, "Nope. No can do."

"Huh? You can't tell me that, I've seen you checking me out more than once."

"Well, yeah, I mean once we were together and…"

"Oh no, before that, you've been checking me out for years."

"Like you haven't been checking me out?"

"See what I mean? And you did it first."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Rick!"

"What?"

Kate sighed and said, "Will you just look at the dress and not me?"

Rick shook his head and emphatically said, "Can't do that."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because the first thing I noticed about you were your eyes. When you came to the 'Storm Fall' party that's the first thing I saw, next was your hair…" he paused a moment and said, "No wait, it was your badge, then your hair."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means that you weren't just some fangirl coming on to me," he grinned and added, "Of course now that I know how much of a fangirl you really…"

"Rick!"

"Ok," he paused a moment and said, "When I first met you it was your eyes that held me, you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen and I can simply drown in them. Which is pretty much what I did till we got to the precinct and then it was your mind."

With a disbelieving look Kate asked, "My mind? All that sexual innuendo was because of my mind, huh?"

"Well no, face it Kate, you're hot, but you went beyond physical hotness and I was hooked." He smiled and added, "I'd never been hooked like that before, and you weren't even trying."

Shaking her head she asked, "So what does that have to do with my dresses?"

"Because you're the whole package Kate. I can't just look from the neck down because I love all of you, so I look at all of you and it doesn't matter to me what you're wearing, I love you, and so you look good all the time."

She sighed and sat on the couch next to him, "You always know what to say, don't you?"

He smiled at her and said, "Who'd of thought, being an author and all."

"I'm going to have to call Lanie then, because I really want to clean out my closets and not bring everything to the loft."

"But I want to help you, I…" he paused and she could almost see a light bulb appear over his head. "I've got it! Just put a bag over your head!"

"A bag? What the…" she shook her head and looked at his beaming face. 'He's beaming!' she thought to herself just before she decided it was too soon in their marriage to shoot him, although if her lawyer got a woman judge she'd easily be acquitted.

Kate looked at him and he noticed that her eyes weren't shining any more just before she said, "How do you constantly manage to forget that I carry a gun?"

The smile slipped from his face, his eyes opened like saucers and he said, "Uhh…" then he smiled even wider and said, "You know I'm joking right? Like I would ever consider a bag over your head."

Kate leaned forward and gave him a kiss, then pointing behind the couch to her bookcase she said, "See that box of books over there?"

He turned around, looked at the box and said, "Yeah?"

"Pick it up, take it down to the car, drive home and put them on a shelf…on their own shelf Rick, and then call me when you're done."

"But…but don't you need me here?"

She gave him a smile and said, "Not as much as I need you to do that for me."

Rick looked back at the box and said, "It looks pretty heavy, and I'm still convalescing, aren't I?"

"I don't think you'll have a problem, after all you finally carried me over the threshold after the ball last week."

A silly smile came on his face and he said, "I did, didn't I? And I never dropped you despite your scream when I picked you up."

"I did not scream."

"Yes you did."

"You're just lucky Alexis and Martha kept the door open or we would have both collapsed in a heap."

"The point is I did it."

"Which means you'll have no troubles with a box of books."

"What are you going to do when I'm gone?"

"I'll figure something Rick, now go, bring my books home."

He got that silly smile on his face again and Kate knew she'd won. He was still giddy that they were married and she moved into the loft. That she was cleaning out her apartment and they were finally, really, together.

He gave a dramatic sigh then got up from the couch, pulled her into his arms and gave her a thorough kiss, then went to the box and slowly picked it up. With the box in his arms he said, "I'll call you when I'm done…will you get the door for me please?"

Kate opened the front door and as he slowly walked to it carrying the box of her books, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said as he walked out of the apartment and down the hall to the elevator. He pressed the down button with his elbow and to his surprise, the door immediately opened. Kate watched as he pressed the button for the first floor with his knee and threw him a kiss as the doors closed.

She gave a contented sigh, closed and locked her door and went to her purse to get her cell phone. Pressing a couple of buttons she waited a moment then said, "Lanie? It's me. Can you come over to my apartment? Yeah. Well I'm going through all my old clothes and I'd like your help in deciding what to keep. Great! Uh, no, there isn't really anything to eat here. No! I mean, no that's ok, why don't we order a pizza instead? It comes in a box. Well, let's just say I don't want any bags around right now."

A little after five that evening, Kate and Lanie opened the front door of the loft. They each carried one box of clothing from Kate's apartment. They had dropped off seven boxes to the local shelter donation center, and Kate's old apartment was now officially empty except for furniture and a few things in the kitchen. For all intents and purposes she was finally moved out.

"Where do you want me to put the box?" Lanie asked as Kate closed the door behind her.

"Over here by the dining room table Lanie," Kate replied putting her own box down. "I don't smell anything cooking, so Rick and Alexis are probably busy, do you want to stay for supper?"

"Depends, what're you having?"

Kate smiled back at Lanie and said, "Since you brought the smallest pizza I ever saw, I'm pretty hungry and don't want to wait…how about Chicken ala Rick?"

"I can go for some comfort food Kate. I'll be glad to stay. Do you need any help?"

Kate made a show of thinking as she walked into the kitchen, "Yes I do as a matter of fact. Will you pour the wine?"

Lanie gave her a smirk and said, "Oh girl, you are talking my language!"

A few minutes later Kate had water boiling in a pot and had several boxes of macaroni on the counter in front of her. There was a box of bow tie pasta, elbow pasta, shells, ziti, rotini and gemilli. As Lanie watched, Kate kept bringing out boxes, large shells, wagon wheels, alphabet, and four boxes of dinosaur shaped pasta.

As Kate took out the last box Alexis came down the stairs and said, "I'd like the dinosaur pasta Kate."

Kate smiled and started putting away the other boxes and said, "Well if there was ever any question as to whose child you are…"

Alexis laughed and then turned to Lanie and said, "Hello Doctor Parish."

Taking a sip of her wine Lanie said, "Alexis, you can call me Lanie you know."

As Alexis sat on a stool, she shook her head, "Not really, I work for you during the day. I think it's best if I keep calling you Dr. Parish all the time."

As Lanie shook her head and had another sip of wine, she heard a buzzing sound. Turning her head, she tried to discover where it was coming from and then turned back to Alexis but she was reading the box of dinosaur pasta, seemingly oblivious to the buzzing, which was now getting louder.

She then turned into the kitchen where Kate was cutting up various cheeses for the pasta and who also seemed to be ignoring the buzzing sound which kept getting louder, when all of a sudden she ducked. Lanie looked over Kate's head and saw a helicopter hovering. Kate continued to cut up the cheese but said, seemingly to the air, "Rick, dinner will be ready in about five minutes."

The helicopter hovered for a few more seconds, turned and faced Lanie and she could swear it was looking at her, and then it flew out of the kitchen into the living room and from there into Rick's office.

Lanie turned back to look as Kate stood up straight again, still cutting up cheese, and said, "What the hell was that?"

Putting down the box of pasta Alexis said, "Kate's wedding present to Dad."

The water was boiling and when Kate came to the counter to take the box of pasta from Alexis Lanie asked, "You got him a _helicopter_ for a wedding present?"

Kate shrugged her shoulder, opened the box of pasta and said as she poured it into the pot, "What else do you get a man who has everything, besides he crashed his last one."

Alexis had gotten up from her stool and gone to the refrigerator for a bottle of water. "Kate got a really good one for him Dr. Parish, it has a camera on the front and he can sit in his office and see where it's flying. It even has a microphone."

Kate put down the empty box and started stirring the pasta. "I've learned to duck when he flies by though, he's still getting used to it."

Lanie looked at Kate and Alexis, both acting like this was a normal evening at home. She picked up her wine glass and drank it down in one gulp, put down the glass and said to Kate, "Girl, I _knew_ you belonged with this family!"

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Across town, Paula Haas was sitting in her office, reading a pre-publication print out of the latest news item about Rick and Kate with a huge grin on her face. **'MUSE MOVES IN, NEW QUEEN IN THE CASTLE? It sure looks like it from where we're standing. Best Selling Author Richard Castle and Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD are seen in the photo below bringing boxes to his address. According to the cabbie, they arrived from the apartment complex where she currently, or should we say formerly lived. This seems to go hand in hand with the rumors flying through the internet that Mr. Castle and Detective Beckett are secretly married. These rumors started over a week ago with information that came out at the Mayor's Ball, although there has been no official comment from Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle or his people. Mum may be the word from their end, but we think the photo below speaks more than a thousand!'**

"Oh this is perfect…perfect!" Paula said as she put the paper down. She picked up her phone and made a call, waited a few seconds before someone answered and said, "Gina? It's Paula. Get ready to print more books!"

"Another article?"

"This time with a photo of them with boxes!"

"Paula, _are_ they married?" Gina asked.

Sidestepping the question Paula said, "Who cares! The books are flying off the shelves and there is more buzz on the internet than ever before. We're on the fourth run for the graphic novels already!"

"Where's the article?"

"It should show on line after midnight, it's for tomorrow's edition."

"How did you get a copy of it then?" Gina petulantly asked.

With a big smile on her face Paula said, "I told you I have connections Gina. Just get ready to print more books!"

Paula hung up the phone before Gina could say anything else and chuckled before saying, "Oh I just bet you want to know if they're married or not Gina. You always did like a little something to leak to the press when it came to Rick."

Her grin turned wicked as she added, "But I have Kate helping me now, and you'll never do him over again…never!"

She looked back at the printout and started laughing again, "Oh my God, this is so much _fun_!"

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The next morning Kate, Martha and Alexis were sitting at the counter eating breakfast, and were reading the article on page 6, "I didn't even see anyone taking a picture," Kate said, looking over Alexis' shoulder.

"With the modern lenses they have now they could have been a block away dear," Martha said.

"It's a good picture Kate, and I think the blurb above is just perfect."

"This has helped sales according to Paula," Kate replied. "Also we have a lot more people joining the web site, even though we let everyone know up front there's no hidden information there."

Alexis was about to say something when they heard a crash in the living room followed by a loud "Crap!" coming from Rick's office. None of the women looked up from the paper but Alexis said, "I think he crashed the new one Kate."

Taking a sip of her coffee Kate said, "I told him if he broke this one he'd have to buy his own."

Martha simply looked at the two of them and smiled. Suddenly they heard a buzzing sound in the living room followed by a loud "Yes!" from Rick's office.

Alexis picked up scissors to cut out the article and said, "Disaster averted," while Kate just smiled and took another sip of her coffee.

Five minutes later, her breakfast finished, Kate rinsed out her coffee cup and called out, "Rick! I'm getting ready to leave now."

He came out of his office to the kitchen and gave her a kiss as she was putting on her jacket. "Mmmm," she said, "You taste like pop-tarts."

Rick grinned and said, "Brown sugar and cinnamon today."

"Will I see you later at the precinct?" Kate asked.

Rick kissed her again and said, "Unless you get a call, probably not. No offense Kate, but your paperwork is boring, boooooorrrrriiiiinnnnngggggg !"

"Gee, thanks."

"I said the paperwork, not you. But Paula wants to meet with me later this morning about the publicity and when we should break the news."

Kate gave him one last kiss and headed to the door. "Just give me a heads up when we're telling the world. Honestly, I think a precinct full of police is more interested in our lives than the press!"

Rick grinned and said, "Have a nice day honey!"

Standing in the middle of the open door Kate turned and said, "How long have you been waiting to say that?"

Before he could answer Alexis came running with her coat in her hand, "Hold on Kate, I'll ride in with you."

Giving Rick a kiss on the cheek Alexis said, "Bye Dad, have a nice day," and hurried out of the door. Kate smiled at Rick and said, "I wonder how long _she's_ waited to say that?" Then closed the door behind her and headed to work.

Rick locked the doors then turned to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Looking up he saw his mother sitting on a stool with a big grin on her face. "Mother?" he said with a questioning look, "What are you smiling about?"

Picking up her cup of coffee Martha said, "Nothing dear, but…" her smile turned wicked as she added, "Have a nice day."

As she walked up the stairs, she heard him sarcastically say, "Ha. Ha. Very funny Mother."

He turned around and headed to the bedroom, now that they had everyone's ok, Rick was looking forward to letting the world know that he managed to catch the most amazing woman in the world. 'No,' he thought to himself, 'make that the universe!'

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Kate and Alexis didn't go right to the precinct, Kate stopped at their regular coffee shop first. No matter how much delicious coffee she got at home, she needed that extra burst when she got to her desk. The line however was longer than usual so she and Alexis talked about preparing for Columbia.

"Have you made up your mind whether you want to live in a dorm on campus or have an apartment off campus?" Kate asked.

"I'm still not sure Kate, I mean I really want the whole college experience, but I understand that at some point I'll probably want my own place."

Kate smiled as they slowly moved their way up the line, "Trust me, Alexis, you definitely will want your own place. One semester of dorm life should cure you of it."

"Gee Kate, you make college sound like so much fun," Alexis said dryly.

Kate laughed and put her arm around Alexis, "Oh there's fun alright, don't get me wrong. But living on top of one or more other people can get tired really fast."

Alexis looked up at Kate and said, "On top of?"

"Or them on top of you. I had three dorm-mates my first semester, and halfway through I was thinking about selling my motorcycle just to get enough money to rent an apartment or half of one."

"Oh." Alexis said softly with a strange look, as Kate ordered her coffee. "Hey Lex, you want anything?"

"Oh no thanks Kate, I'm fine."

"Ok," Kate said and finished her order. As they moved over to the pick up area, Kate looked at Alexis and said, "Hey, don't freak out here Lex. Believe me there is a lot of fun living in a dorm too. It wasn't all bad, but after a month or so I really needed to have some time alone."

Alexis looked up and her face looked more relieved when she said, "Oh, ok then," a few minutes later they walked out with one coffee and two bags. "I'm not even going to try to get to the precinct fast today," Kate said. "No matter what I do I can't get them there warmer than your father does. And he refuses to let me know how he does it!"

"The bear claws or the coffee?" Alexis asked.

"The bear claws. I don't care how far away he has to travel to get it to me, they're always warm."

Alexis smiled and said, "It's probably magic Kate. You know Dad and magic."

Recalling the massage Rick gave her the night before and what magic relief his fingers could give, Kate sighed and said, "You're probably right Alexis. You're probably right."

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The day turned out to be as long and as boring as Rick projected. No new cases and just paperwork on top of paperwork. Rick called a little after 2pm to give her an update of his meeting with Paula, it all depended on them now. Kate thought they could discuss that at home and told him to not bother coming in, she'd be getting out on time today.

At 4pm, finishing up the last paperwork on a case, Kate looked up to see Captain Montgomery walking to her desk. "Detective, can I see you in my office please?" he asked.

"Certainly Sir," she replied and got up to follow him into his office where he offered her a seat and closed the door.

Kate sat down and Montgomery immediately got to the heart of things. "Kate, I've been trying to get you promoted to Sergeant for the past five years. Each time you take the exam you pass with the highest marks, but you've never taken the promotion."

"You know why Sir, I don't want to leave the team and I prefer working on a case rather than doing administrative work."

"I know Kate, and you're good at it, probably the best I've ever trained or worked with, but you can be so much more, for yourself and for the force."

"Captain, helping families of victims find closure is more important to me than a promotion. I really don't want to give that up."

Montgomery smiled and said, "And that is the reason for this meeting. Yesterday afternoon I had a long discussion about you with the Chief of Detectives."

A puzzled look came over her face, "Sir…?"

Montgomery smiled and said, "That's right. For the hour and a half I was with him, we discussed you, and your place in the NYPD."

Kate wasn't sure what to say to that statement. Her Captain and the Chief of Detectives for the entire City spoke about her for ninety minutes?

"Kate, we both believe that you should be promoted, and as a Sergeant you will not only have the opportunity to help the families of crime victims, but you can also work to improve the other teams, to better help the families they deal with as well."

Kate shook her head, "I'd have to leave the 12th then, and Roy, this has been my home since the Academy. I don't want to leave it to go somewhere else."

His smile became even wider and he said, "You won't have to. Sgt. Morrissey is going to transfer to the 26th Precinct next year since Sgt. Jepson is retiring."

"Jepson? I don't think I know him."

"He actually started here at the 12th years ago, I knew him when I was a rookie. George and his wife Jane are planning to move to Florida in January and that will mean before December Morrissey will need to be in place at the 26th."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Since we don't currently have an opening for a Sergeant here at the 12th, and since I knew you wouldn't want to go to any other Precinct…" he paused and added, "And I sure didn't want to lose you either, the Chief has approved your promotion within the 12th as an SDS."

To say Kate was surprised would be an understatement. There weren't many SDS positions in the NYPD and there certainly wasn't one at the 12th Precinct. She thought of the duties she would have, but still have the ability to work cases. 'Sergeant-Supervisor Detective Squad, Beckett,' she thought. A pretty long title but it would keep her here at the 12th and allow her to continue to work with her team.

"Think about it Kate. When Morrissey leaves for the 26th, you will be promoted to full Sergeant to take his place. You will still be able to work cases, but you'll have more say in the ones you do…and you will also be supervising the other detective teams here at the 12th. You will be able to put your mark on how they do their jobs Kate. Remember that as a Sergeant you will be responsible for enforcing that the teams follow procedure, as well as modifying those procedures where necessary."

Montgomery watched as Kate analyzed what he'd said then added, "It's a big responsibility Kate, but one that I, and the Chief, know you can handle."

He waited for another minute and when she still didn't comment, said, "Think about it Kate. Take a few days and mull it over. Talk it over with Rick, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic." He smiled and added, "There's no rule that says a Sergeant can't have a partner when in the field."

Kate nodded her head, "Thank you Roy. I appreciate the confidence you and the Chief have in me. Not having to leave the 12th, and being able to work with my team…you make it sound much better than I ever thought."

She stood up and before she opened the door he said, "Not a word to anyone else Kate. The SDS position is only open for you, if you want it."

She nodded her head once and said, "I understand Sir and…thank you."

As Kate opened the door and walked back to her desk, Roy looked at the photo of his family and said to himself, "Sergeant to Lieutenant to Captain…Evelyn, if she takes the job I should be able to retire sooner than we thought."

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Two hours later Rick was ecstatic, but not at what Roy thought he would be. "Jepson? Really? George Jepson? And his wife is Jane? Do they have a boy named Elroy?"

Kate sighed, she hadn't caught the significance of the name when Roy spoke to her, but leave it to Rick to not only catch the name, but also zero in on that rather than the promotion. "Rick, enough with the name please? We need to talk about this."

"But Kate, this is the Jetsons!" He immediately started singing the song from the 1960's cartoon and Kate could only shake her head. 'Ryan was right,' she thought, 'I'm the one who married him.'

Rick stopped after only one rendition of the song and smiled, "Kinda wondering why you married me about now?" he asked.

Kate smiled back and said, "Yeah, kinda," then leaned over and gave him a kiss. "So what do you think?"

"I've made no secret of the fact that I think you're awesome," he replied. "I have no doubt that not only can you handle the job easily, but you will the most outstanding Sergeant in the entire NYPD!"

"Rick! I'm serious."

He put both his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, his expression no longer jovial, but subdued. "So am I Kate. Don't doubt that for a second. Where you're concerned, I am very serious."

Kate looked closely at him and then smiled, "Roy said that as a Sergeant I would still be able to have a partner when I went out in the field."

His hands slid down her arms and before she realized what was happening, he was hugging her tightly. One of those hugs where his arms felt so protective and at the same time, so loving. She put her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest and rested in his arms. She knew he would always have her back, and that he would always be her greatest fan.

Kate tightened her arms around him and said, "So you think I should take it?"

"I will agree with whatever decision you make Kate, but I do, I think you should take it. We know the position of SDS at the 12th was created just for you. They really want you to be a Sergeant. They really do. And I agree with Roy that as Sergeant you can make an even bigger difference in the lives of the victims' families. You can make even more of a positive difference in their lives Kate."

He bent down and kissed the top of her head. "It's your decision, and I will support you in whatever you decide to do."

She pulled back her head, stood up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. "I think I do want it Rick. I'll still work with my team, I'll still have my ruggedly handsome partner, and maybe I _can_ help make a difference in more people's lives."

"Good, now that that's decided, we need to discuss the rumors of our…" he paused and made quote signs with his fingers, "Secret marriage."

Kate smiled and was about to speak when the phone rang. Rick picked up the phone and after a few seconds handed it to her. "Oh hi Yana, how are you?"

Kate listened with a smile on her face, turned and threw Rick a kiss and sat on the sofa, Rick listened in till they started speaking in Russian. Hearing the change in language, he sighed, sat down next to her and waited.

Ten minutes later Kate hung up the phone and turned to see Rick gazing at her. Kate knew he wanted to listen in but unfortunately, he didn't understand a word she said after 'Hi Yana.' What made matters worse was that he absolutely knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she was speaking about him. It was obvious by the little side looks and smiles she was giving him during the conversation.

Kate knew what he was thinking. She knew that he was positive she was talking about him, and in a sense, he would be correct. Yana was making sure that Rick and Kate, along with Martha and Alexis would be at the party this weekend, and knowing how his mind worked, Kate made sure to throw in his name as often as possible, and every now and then throw him a wink.

When she got off the phone, she said, "Saturday at 11am. Paval will be picking us up and taking us to Yana's house."

He looked at her for a moment then sighed, "You're never going to tell me what you say when you and Yana talk, are you?"

A smile came on her face and she snuggled next to him on the couch, "Aren't there times when you like me to speak Russian?" she asked coyly. Then moving her mouth to his ear she whispered, "I mean, really, _really_ like it?"

With a gleam in his eye, he kissed her chin and said, "Why don't we take this bi-lingual conversation to a more comfortable location?"

She smiled and put out her hand and together they walked to their bedroom.

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**Sorry for the delay folks, this chapter was finished over a week ago, but with all the commotion in getting ready for the trip to Atlanta, and then all that happened during the trip itself (just got back last night)…well here it is. Dare I say, better late than never? Hopefully you like the way I have moved Kate forward and away from letting her mother's case take over her life, quite honestly I'm pretty tired of the whole thing myself.**

**I've got a couple of ideas for chapter 27 already written down…all I need is to find some time to write…I had no idea my lawn could grow so long in just a week!**


	28. Chapter 28, Always Forever

Is Forever Possible

by RGoodfellow64

Chapter 28, Always Forever

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Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever, owned any of the characters or stars of the ABC TV show Castle. If I did I probably would have had them together much sooner than on the show, and most certainly, not as well written.

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She looked down at the ID badge hanging around her neck. Medical Examiner Intern Alexis Castle. She liked the sound of that, 'Medical Examiner Intern Alexis Castle here, let me through please,' she giggled at the thought of flashing a badge at a crime scene but then stopped and her eyes opened wide…she just channeled her inner Richard Castle. 'Oh my God!' she thought, 'I'm turning into my Dad!'

"Do you have the personal effects cataloged Alexis?" Lanie asked from across the room.

"Yes, Dr. Parish, they're all done."

Lanie nodded her head and said, "Good, stay here for a bit while I check something on the computer. There's something strange about this one."

"Yes, Dr. Parish," Alexis replied. She carefully checked the box of personal effects once again to make sure she'd done everything according to protocol. Ever since she helped that woman reconnect with her family photos a year ago, Alexis felt a sense of personal responsibility to make sure that each box she put together was documented thoroughly.

She felt a sense of pride when Dr. Perlmutter complimented her on the great job she was doing. Of course, his mumble at the end about how refreshing it was to have a responsible Castle around did take away a bit of that compliment…but not too much.

Lanie came back out of her office and walked back to the table to look over the victim once again. As she examined a small bruise on the back of the neck the door to the Autopsy room opened and Alexis watched as Kate and her father walked in.

Kate smiled at Alexis and then looked at Lanie, she was about to speak when Rick said, "Hi Pumpkin," and smiled at his daughter. The reaction he received should have been expected as three voices cried out at the same time, "Dad!" "Rick!" "Castle!"

Three pairs of eyes were looking at him as if he just climbed out of a sewer. Blue, green and brown, and all three sets were narrowed as they glared at him. "Dad, how many times have I told you not to call me that at work?" Alexis asked.

Before he could reply Kate asked, "Rick, how many times do we have to remind you that this is important to Alexis?"

Before he could answer Kate, Lanie said, "Richard Castle, you will treat all my interns with respect. That includes the one who is, through no fault of her own, related to you by birth. You will call her Alexis or Miss Castle, and nothing else while she is working for the New York City Medical Examiners Office, do I make myself clear?"

Rick looked at each set of angry eyes and gulped. He'd been in lots of situations before in his life but something about these three women was down right scary. He simply nodded his head and said, "Yes." Turning to Alexis he said, "I'm sorry Pump…Alexis."

Alexis yelled, "Dad!" while Lanie pointed to her office and said, "Castle, go to my office, sit down and don't touch a thing!"

Rick thought about trying to salvage some of his pride but these three really did look scary. For a moment, he wondered when it was that Alexis learned to look at him like that. 'Probably from Kate, but there's a lot of Alexis there too,' he thought to himself as he walked into Lanie's office and sat down.

When Rick entered Lanie's office Alexis said, "I love him but sometimes he's so…"

Kate nodded her head at Alexis and said, "I know what you mean, Alexis. Believe me, I know what you mean."

Lanie looked at Kate and said what seemed to fast becoming the official mantra of those who were in the know, "You married him."

Kate rolled her eyes and replied, "Aren't you the one who's been telling me to get my groove on with Rick all these years, what was it you said, oh yes, 'Girl, you better jump his bones, and fast', and don't even try to deny it."

"Yeah well, the way you two kept looking at each other I expected to see clothing being ripped off any second, how you both managed to stay so stupid all those years and not jump each other…"

"Excuse me!" Alexis said her hands up in front of her making the sign of a T. "Impressionable daughter here, TMI, TMI!"

Lanie and Kate quickly turned around to look at Alexis, surprised looks on their faces, as they had been so engrossed in their own conversation, they'd forgotten all about her.

Kate noticed that Lanie actually blushed before she quickly apologized to Alexis and mumbled something about files before walking to her office. Turning back to Alexis, Kate started to apologize when suddenly a wicked smile came on the young woman's face and she said, "Actually Kate, Grams and I wondered the same thing," before she also turned away to follow Lanie.

Kate's mouth hung open as she watched her stepdaughter walk away. Finally, her eyes narrowed and she called out, "Alexis Castle! Wait till I get you home!"

Alexis giggled and followed Lanie into her office and sat down next to her dad. A few seconds later Kate followed and Lanie asked, "Ok, now that we're all embarrassed, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Kate smiled and said, "We have some news and wanted you to be the first to know…" Lanie interrupted her squealing, "You're pregnant?"

Taken aback, Kate replied, "No! No I'm not pregnant, why would you even ask that?"

Lanie smiled and said, "Well the way you two go at it like rabbits, I figured it's only a matter of time…" her words trailed off as she saw Rick and Kate both turn to look at Alexis sitting between them.

Alexis looked first at Rick and then at Kate and said, "Oh no, not me. I didn't say a thing!"

Lanie piped up, interrupting the family scene in front of her and said, "With all the UST you put out you could have powered half of Manhattan for a year!"

With a puzzled look on her face Kate asked, "Ust? What's ust?"

Rick said, "Not ust Kate, the letters yu, ess and tee which stand for Unresolved Sexual Tension."

Kate turned back to Lanie and asked, "Unresolved Sexual Tension? Are you serious?"

"Girl for the past few years it's been so thick around you two that you needed a chainsaw to cut through it. Way too much for a simple knife."

Kate shook her head and tried to get back on track, "I'm not pregnant."

"Then what did you want to tell me?" Lanie asked.

"I spoke to Captain Montgomery this morning and as of one minute after midnight Sunday morning it's official, and we'll be telling the boys when they get back but…I am now Sergeant Beckett."

Lanie jumped up from her chair and gave Kate a hug. "Oh Kate! I'm so happy for you! You'll be a great Sergeant." She paused a moment and asked, "Where are they going to assign you?"

A big smile came over Kate's face and she said, "They're moving me to the 12th Precinct."

Lanie tilted her head and said, "They're moving you to the 12th? Wait a second, you're already at the 12th!"

Kate laughed and said, "I know, that's what's great about it. I'm an SDS till Morrissey leaves for the 26th later this year."

Rick meanwhile started humming the tune for 'the Jetsons' before Alexis hit his arm with her elbow. Kate smiled down at her and mouthed 'thank you' as Rick said, pride dripping from every word, "Actually Lanie, the position of SDS was created specifically for Kate. Not only Montgomery, but also the Chief of Detectives wants Kate as a Sergeant, and they want her to stay here at the 12th."

"Oh," Lanie said and she went back to her desk to check her e-mail. "Is that what the 'All Hands' meeting is about tomorrow morning?"

Kate nodded and said, "Yeah, the Captain wants both shifts to know the change, and first thing in the morning gets the graveyard as well as the day shifts together."

"Wow, Sgt. Beckett, it has a nice ring to it. So, any idea who they're going to get to replace you?"

Kate smiled again and said, "No one. I'm still with my team and," she turned to look at Castle, "I still have my partner."

Lanie smiled again and said with all sincerity, "Congratulations Kate, you really deserve it."

Kate smiled and said, "Thank you Lanie," then looked at her watch. Looking up she said, "We have to get back, Ryan and Esposito should be arriving any minute now, and I want to tell them as soon as they arrive. Remember Lanie, this isn't official till Sunday morning and the Captain wants to be the one to tell everyone, so don't tell a soul."

Lanie looked out the door at the empty room and said, "Any idea who I can tell down here? This is a morgue you know, no one here is gonna tell stories."

Kate chuckled and headed out the door with Rick, Alexis and Lanie following her. As Rick and Kate arrived at the elevator it opened and Perlmutter walked out, nodding to Kate he said, "Detective," then turned to Castle and said, "Writer."

They watched as he headed to his office and then they entered the elevator. As Rick pressed the button to go up, he looked out the elevator and said, "See you, Pump…aah, Sweetie…I mean Alexis."

As the doors began to close, he heard Alexis say, "Dad!" just as Kate reached for his ear. After the doors closed, and just before the elevator started to rise, Alexis could hear her fathers muffled voice yell, "Apples! Apples!"

When Kate and Rick walked off the elevator, they saw Ryan and Esposito sitting at their desks. Rick walked towards the breakroom to make a cup of coffee and Kate went to get her 'boys' and have them all meet with Rick. A few minutes later Kate walked in with Ryan and Esposito right behind and Rick handed her a fresh cup of coffee.

Kate gave Rick a big smile and took a sip as he walked to the breakroom door and closed it before turning back to his wife and her 'boys'. Ryan and Esposito meanwhile were looking at the two of them with curiosity, wondering what they had to say that warranted the door being closed.

Kate got right to the point, "At the all hands meeting tomorrow morning, Captain Montgomery will be informing the precinct that I am being promoted to Sergeant, effective one minute after midnight on Sunday morning."

Esposito looked at Ryan who said with a grin on his face, "Sergeant? Really? That's great!" Then the two of them put out their arms to give her a hug but she pushed them back. Looking out of the breakroom window to the bullpen she said, "Not now guys, I don't want anyone out there to know that something is going on. Let's just keep this quiet till the Captain breaks the news tomorrow, ok?

Ryan and Esposito were very happy for Kate. They knew she deserved the promotion, but they were worried that she would be transferred to another precinct. When they heard she'd be staying at the 12th, their exuberance knew no bounds and Kate had to remind them, more forcefully, that this information needed to be kept to themselves till the next day.

Ryan said, "This calls for a celebration!"

"Yeah," Esposito said, "We need a party for this!"

Rick cleared his throat and said, "Sunday afternoon at 4pm, at the Old Haunt."

Kate turned to Rick with a questioning look on her face and said, "Excuse me? Sunday afternoon? Remember where we'll be on Saturday; think we'll be able to handle more on Sunday?"

Rick smiled and said, "Sure, no problem; and by 4pm we should actually start to be hungry again!"

"You two have something going on tomorrow?" Ryan asked.

"Party" came out of both Rick and Kate at the same time. Esposito just shook his head and Ryan grinned as Kate looked at Rick and raised one eyebrow to acknowledge they were both on the same wavelength.

"Lanie's right," Ryan said with a grin. "You two are cute when you do that."

.

.

Friday morning at the all hands meeting, Captain Montgomery informed the 12th that they were getting a new Sergeant and asked Beckett to stand next to him. Her fellow homicide detectives cheered for her while Rick looked on with pride and took close to two hundred photos. After the meeting, several other officers came up to congratulate her and that's when Sgt. Morrissey came to offer his congratulations.

"The Captain asked me my opinion and I told him you'd be a great Sergeant, but like the other times he asked, you wouldn't accept the position. He bet me ten dollars you would."

Kate smiled at him and asked, "Are you going to ask me for the ten back?"

Morrissey laughed and said, "Nope, but tradition is that the newbe buys the first lunch, so I'll make sure it's a good one!"

Kate laughed along with him and said she looked forward to working with him and learning the ropes of being a Sergeant.

"It's kind of an odd thing really, Beckett," he said. "You have all the knowledge you need from the field, but there is so much more that you need to learn, and also to unlearn. You'll be starting with me bright and early on Monday morning and probably won't be able to be with your team for at least the next few weeks."

"Really? I hoped I'd be able to still work with them while training."

"Sometimes that is allowed, but the Captain wants you in place as Sergeant as soon as possible, so there will be classes downtown and here that you will need to take, as well as the knowledge you only learn on the job, that I'll pass on to you. We both want you up and running before the end of February."

"February?" Kate asked.

"February," Morrissey replied, "Think you're up for that?"

A grin came over her face as Kate said, "I always did like a challenge."

.

.

The next day, as the stretch limousine pulled up, Rick, Kate, Alexis and Martha all walked out of the front door of Rick's building and headed towards it, not answering the questions thrown at them by the waiting reporters. The curiosity on whether they were or were not married had only grown in the past week with speculation running wild. They really needed to nip this in the bud, and soon, which was why Paula had already started the process, and Sunday the news would break.

Dmitri was standing by the open back door and gave a greeting as each member of the family entered the car. As Kate was the first inside, she was also the first to see her father sitting on the seat across from her. She immediately switched seats to sit next to him and said, "Oh I'm so glad you were able to make it Dad." She grabbed his left arm and gave him a hug.

He smiled, patted her arm and said, "Katie, how could I refuse when two large Russian men came to the house and informed me that I had to attend?"

"What?"

Jim laughed and said, "Oh Katie, sorry but I couldn't help it. I actually had a nice conversation with a delightful young woman named Tatiana who filled me in on the party. You don't think I'd ever miss your wedding reception, do you?"

Still holding his arm Kate said, "Dad! That wasn't funny!" but she couldn't contain the smile on her face and then laughed along with him.

As the rest of the family was seated in the car, Dmitri closed the door and they pulled away from the curb. As they were driving Kate worried about her Dad being at a traditional Russian wedding party, and pressed the buzzer to speak to the driver. The curtain pulled back and Kate saw that Paval was driving and she asked in Russian, "Paval, are you aware that my father doesn't drink alcohol?"

Without a pause Paval said, also in Russian, "Yes we are Mrs. Castle, no need to worry, Yana's husband also does not drink any alcohol."

Kate quietly sighed and said, "Thank you Paval, I don't want him to feel like an outsider with everyone drinking."

Paval smiled and said, "Not to worry Mrs. Castle, this will only be a small party, only family, perhaps twenty people at most…we only bought twelve cases of Vodka."

"Twelve cases?" Kate asked.

As they were speaking in Russian, no one in the car other than Dmitri understood what they were saying, but they knew Kate was surprised when, after Paval said something, she exclaimed in English, "I thought you couldn't get that here?"

Paval replied in English saying, "Some minor Vodka's you can, but there is only a limited supply of this, so we asked the Russian Ambassador to the UN to bring them back with him when he returned from home last week."

Kate was shocked and said, "You actually asked the Russian Ambassador to bring you back some Vodka?"

"Yes."

"How did you get it through Customs?" Rick asked.

"It never went through Customs," Dmitri replied. "Uncle Paval picks the Ambassador up at his plane at the airport, and this trip we simply neglected to take all his packages out of the car at the Embassy."

As Kate tried to comprehend what Paval and Dmitri had told her, Paval told everyone they should be at the compound in about twenty minutes and closed the curtain again.

Jim leaned over to Kate and softly asked, "Compound?"

Kate had to chuckle. Although she had only been there once, the group of homes that Paval's family lived in was surrounded by an eight foot cement and stone wall and it reminded her of the compound in the movie 'The Godfather.'

She turned to her father and tried to explain where he would be when Rick said, "Jim, did you ever see the movie 'Arsenic and Old Lace?'"

Before he could answer Martha said, "Richard, you know the stage version is always better than the movie version."

Rick sighed and said, "Mother, I'm not trying to compare versions. I'm simply trying to tell Jim what Paval, and Yana's houses looks like." He turned back to Jim and said, "Whenever I stand in front of Yana's house I expect to hear someone yell 'Charge!' run up the stairs and slam the door."

Jim laughed and said, "Sounds like it will be fun." He turned back to Kate and said, "So how come this family ceremony is just us? Aren't your friends from the precinct invited? And what about Maddie?"

With a puzzled look on her face, Kate turned to Rick to ask him to explain when Martha said, "Jim, Pyotr, Paval and Yana adopted Richard as a member of their family. We've been to many parties there over the years and Richard has had them at the Hamptons for vacations. So by 'family' it means who they consider family, which is us by adoption and you by marriage."

Kate nodded her head and said, "Alexis is godmother to Paval and Maria's little boy Ivan. We were here for the Christening party."

Jim leaned back in his seat and watched his new in-laws. He never thought Kate would finally settle down, give up the dangerous and self destructive path she had followed for so long, but here she was, with family and from what he just heard, extended family as well. He was really looking forward to this party.

Conversation flowed and before they knew it, the limousine was turning into an open gate which slowly closed behind them. Jim looked out at the park-like setting and couldn't help but agree with Kate that this did indeed remind him of the Corleone family compound in the movie.

Jim saw two houses which weren't that far from each other, and from a quick glance of the property, it looked like a few other buildings were on it as well. The car brought them around near the side of the first house and stopped. Dmitri opened the door to let everyone out and they were greeted by Pyotr, Yana and Yana's husband.

As Jim came out and met the greeting party, his mouth opened in surprise. "Terry?" he asked.

Yana's husband looked just as dumfounded and said, "Jimbo?"

Kate had never met Yana's husband as he was working when she was there for Ivan's christening, but Rick knew him well and said, "You two know each other?"

Jim had a big smile on his face and said, "Terry is the man who helped me when I entered rehab. He was my sponsor at AA."

Kate simply stood in shock. Yana's husband certainly wasn't Russian. He looked, and he sounded Irish. She looked at her father and said, "Dad?"

Jim and Terry were shaking hands and patting each other's back, when Jim turned around with a big grin on his face and said, "Katie, say hello to Terrence Sean Patrick O'Mahoney, or as we all call him at the meetings, Terry."

Still somewhat shocked, Kate put out her hand to shake Terry's and said something that she hoped was appropriate because now all she could think of was Tom Sawyer, and how much Terry looked like Mark Twain's character with the red hair and freckles. Terry meanwhile turned back and said, "Jimbo, this is my wife, Yana."

When she heard that, Kate's mind gave a little hiccup as she tried to grasp that her Russian friend was named Yana O'Mahoney. For some reason Kate never thought to ask Yana what her last name was and she was having a difficult time grasping what she'd just heard.

Introductions were made as Paval and Dmitri joined the group after parking the limousine, and soon all were walking around the first house to where the "reception" was to be held. Kate noticed how her father was trying to take it all in at once and couldn't blame him for that. The grounds were beautiful; even in the winter you could see the shrubs and green plants that made up the base of the gardens. In the spring and summer, it should be spectacular.

They came around the side of the house to the back and Kate saw that what had been an open patio at the time of Ivan's Christening was now enclosed with large windows to let in the winter sun, and two wood stoves running in the corners to keep it warm. Inside were six tables, two with delicious looking foods and desserts. By the large doors that were open to the house was a smaller table, just perfect for two people. Kate knew that it was set up for her and Rick.

She found she was correct when Yana led them to the table. Once they sat down Kate looked at Rick who seemed a bit nervous. He leaned to her and whispered, "What's going to happen now? I've never been to a Russian wedding before."

Kate whispered back, "I was at one with my host family in Kiev. The first thing to remember is they don't tap the glass for the bride and groom to kiss."

"They don't? What do they do instead?"

"Someone calls out…" she never finished the sentence as several people called out something in Russian and Kate smiled. "Stand up Rick."

As he watched her start to stand he said, "Huh?"

"Come on, stand up."

As he stood he asked, "Kate, what are they calling out? It sounds like 'gorko'. What does that mean?"

She put her arms around his neck and said, "It means the wine is bitter and we have to kiss to sweeten it up."

He smiled as her lips came to his and he quickly said, "Oh, I know I can handle this part!" and then his lips were too busy for speech. He looked forward to the wine turning bitter often, just so they would have to sweeten it up.

Almost four hours, and lots and lots of long kisses later, Kate was sitting quietly with Yana and digesting all that she'd learned today. In the corner of her eye she saw Rick talking to her dad, Terry and Pyotr, with Yana's youngest Ekaterina standing under her "uncle" Rick's arm. At the other end of the patio, Alexis sat with young Ivan in her lap, talking to Maria and Tatiana while a couple of Yana's cousins stood by, watching with big smiles on their faces. Kate couldn't help but notice how Dmitri kept looking at Alexis, although she seemed to have eyes only for Ivan.

Kate now had a much better understanding of the dynamics of this strange, totally unreal, relationship between Rick and the Russian émigré's, it was much more complex than Martha stated the day she met Pyotr and Paval.

Kate took a sip of her coffee and listened to the ebb and flow of conversations all around her, looking at her new 'extended' family. Yana and her older brother Pyotr along with their younger brother Paval managed to leave Russia during the tumultuous years when the USSR fell and Boris Yeltsin became president. They came to America knowing only one person, Rick. He had told them to look him up if they ever came here and they trusted him to mean what he said. She turned her eyes and looked at her husband.

Her husband. Sometimes she still had a difficult time accepting the reality of that word. She had a husband. She was married. A twinge of sadness crept in as she realized her mother would never be here or be part of her new life. The life she was finally living, rather than simply existing in, but she also knew her mother would be absolutely thrilled with the way her life was going now.

Kate smiled at the scene she was watching, Rick was saying something to her father and her dad was laughing at what Rick said. This was something she never thought she'd experience, seeing her father and husband so close. She was so absorbed in watching them that she didn't notice Yana was watching her. To Yana, Kate was an answer to prayer, just as Rick had been to Yana and her family so many years before.

Although her older brother Pyotr was the more pragmatic of the siblings, the family was basically run by Yana and it was her opinion that mattered, and in her opinion Richard Castle was a living, breathing saint.

In Yana's eyes he was the man who saved her family, who opened his home to them and helped them establish themselves in this country. He helped them start their business and his contacts helped them become citizens. Because of him she met her husband and lived a life she once only read about in the old fairy tales.

Yana never liked Meredith, and although she loved Alexis, she always knew Meredith was not good for Rick. Gina seemed even worse as far as Yana was concerned. Where Rick, Martha and Alexis considered them like family, Gina thought of them as hired servants. Yana thoroughly enjoyed telling Gina she could no longer rely on PYP for transportation after Rick divorced her.

Although she never met any of the women Rick dated over the years after Gina, she knew that he was lonely, that he needed someone in his life who was strong, who could stand up to him, and more importantly stand up _with_ him; a woman who would be a support and not a leech. The more she heard about Kate, the more she liked her and she had felt no hesitation in adding her to the very short list of 'family' that could always rely on PYP at any time. When she found that Kate spoke Russian, that was simply the icing on the cake and she waited, without much patience, for the day that Kate and Rick became one. She considered it as inevitable as the sun rising and setting each day.

Kate was watching with a big smile as Rick bowed over Ekaterina's hand and asked her to dance. The young girl was thrilled and giggled as Rick gallantly walked her to the center of the room, put his arm on her shoulder, held her hand and started to dance. Kate was surprised to see how well Ekaterina danced the waltz and turned to Yana with a questioning look.

"My mother was a dancer," Yana said, "Ekaterina is named after her. I was taught to dance and all my children have had proper training."

Kate smiled and said, "You're lucky they all wanted to learn, usually not every child wants to learn the same thing."

Yana gave an imperial sniff and raised her head. "It is a tradition in my family and so they learned. If they wanted to, then fine, and if they didn't want to, too bad. They learned!"

Kate nodded her head and watched Rick dance with the girl. Yana was all that the stereotypical Russian woman of the house should be. Firm, sometimes arrogant, but always in complete control of her family…or at least that's what Kate thought till Terry came up to his wife, kissed her neck and said, "Come on sweetie, I need a dance!"

That was when Kate saw a total transformation come over Yana, who lowered her head, blushed slightly, and with all the love in her heart showing in her eyes, giggled and followed her husband to the dance floor. He nodded his head to the band and the stately waltz became a more upbeat Irish tune and Yana laughed in delight as he swung her around the floor then dipped her for a kiss.

Kate smiled at the sight, realizing that although Yana held a tight rein on the rest of her family, with Terry there was no one in charge of the other, but like herself and Rick, Yana and Terry were partners. This made Kate feel very happy and she looked around for Rick, hoping she could have a dance with him when suddenly he was behind her. He kissed her neck and then said in a very bad Irish brogue, "Come on sweetie, I need a dance!"

Kate found herself blushing, and giggling and absolutely loving every minute of it as Rick grabbed her hand and led her out to dance.

It was late when the party was winding down. Maria and Paval had taken little Ivan home hours earlier and a few others had left as well. Rick and Kate gathered up Alexis and Martha, and Kate had to drag Jim away from a cutthroat game of Cribbage with Terry so they all could get home. Jim would be staying over at the Loft since he lived further away. Dmitri had the limonene waiting and all warmed up for them as they said their goodbyes to Yana, Pyotr and Terry, and a few minutes later the gates opened and Dmitri drove them home.

Alexis fell asleep with her head on Kate's shoulder and even the older adults felt the strain of the day, except Martha of course who asked Dmitri to let her off in the theater district as many shows had finished and Martha knew of a couple of parties in the area that she wanted to attend. "It'll be good for my school if people see me out and about," she replied to Rick when he tiredly said, "Mother!"

Kate smiled, as Martha walked away from the limo and Rick told Dmitri to take them home. Home. Her home. Her and Rick's home. _Their_ home. As she thought this a warm feeling came over Kate and she looked down at Alexis, faintly breathing through her mouth, sound asleep on her shoulder. In an epiphany, Kate knew what she'd do with her apartment. She wouldn't sell it; instead, she'd keep it. It would be a perfect place for Alexis when she graduated from college.

.

.

Sunday morning breakfast was actually late morning brunch as everyone slept late. Even Kate slept well past the time her internal clock usually woke her. They were sitting at the table finishing their meal when Martha walked in. "Good morning everyone!" she said with enthusiasm. She stopped and looked at the four people sitting at the table. They looked like they could use another day or two of sleep. The party had definitely taken a lot out of them, except for Jim, who seemed to be just as chipper as Martha was, "Would you care for something to eat Martha?" he asked.

"Thank you Jim, but no. I think I'll retire to catch a few winks before I head to my studio this afternoon. I may have managed to land a few more investors!" She beamed at them all and made what could only be called a grand exit as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Kate looked at Rick and he looked back at her before he shook his head and said, "I don't want to know."

Kate shook her head and said, "Then let's get back to Yana's family again. How come you never told me her husband was Irish?"

Rick took a sip of coffee and said, "I actually never thought of it. Anyway, what does it matter if he's Irish?"

Kate rolled her eyes and looked at her dad before turning back to Rick, "Hello? Beckett? Dad's part Irish."

Jim's eyes crinkled in amusement and he quietly added, "So are you Katie."

"Dad!"

Jim picked up his cup of tea and took a sip before he replied, "Just saying."

Kate turned back to Rick and saw him try to hide a smile. "When I first met Pyotr and Paval, they both looked like Russians," Kate said. "When I met Yana she also looked like a typical Russian woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. But since her son has the dark hair and eyes like his uncles, and Tatiana looks the same as her mother, I naturally thought her husband was Russian."

"Ok," Rick said, "but I don't understand why it's a big deal." Before Kate could answer he suddenly asked, "And if your family is Irish, how come you speak Russian?"

"Jo's family is Slavic," Jim answered. "Our wedding was a combined Eastern Orthodox and Catholic ceremony. Oddly enough the two priests got along like two long lost brothers." He looked at Kate and said to Rick, "Kate has a little Irish in her, but she mostly looks Slavic. She definitely has her mother's eyes." He gazed at Kate and his face softened as he looked at his daughter with undisguised love and pride.

Kate smiled back at her dad and then looked at Rick, "Don't change the subject Rick, I was completely surprised when I met Terry and he probably thinks I'm crazy. I have no idea what I said to him when he said hello."

"He did give you a sort of odd look," Jim remarked with a twinkle in his eye.

"Thanks for that," Kate mumbled under her breath just before Alexis spoke. "I don't know why we bother with TV, a family breakfast with all of you is a lot more interesting and more fun to watch."

Kate dropped her head in her hands and said, "Doesn't Lanie have something for you to do today?" When Alexis said no, Kate asked, "Perlmutter maybe?"

"Nope, I have the day free so I'm not going anywhere."

"What were we talking about before this Irish thing came up?" Rick asked just before Kate threw her napkin at him.

"Details, Castle. Now!" she said sternly and gave him as much of a glare as she could, because as strange as this breakfast conversation was, it was one of the most fun, free and family feeling breakfasts she could remember having since she went away to college. She kept her face calm but inside she was having the time of her life.

"Terry's family actually came from Brooklyn and when he was a boy they moved to Ireland because of his father's work. Don't ask me what he did, I don't remember. That's why Terry speaks with an Irish brogue even though he's an American. His great-grandparents, or were they his great-great grandparents, anyway, whoever they were they came over in the mid 1800's and Terry inherited his grandfather's way with cars and engines."

"His grandfather?" Kate asked.

"The first O'Mahoney was good with horses and had livery stables in the city, and when cars started to come along they opened a string of gas stations and service garages throughout Brooklyn and spread out into the rest of the city. The 'compound' where they live was built by Terry's grandparents."

"Ok, so that explains Terry, but what about Yana and her family?"

"I met Pyotr when he was driving a taxi in Moscow. He just smiled and didn't answer whenever I asked, but I think he had some security job with the government and was probably my keeper while I was there." Rick lowered his voice and said, "I think he was really KGB because when he'd drop me off he usually followed me, supposedly in case I needed another ride, but no one ever admits to anything."

"KGB, Dad?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah!" Rick said, becoming more animated at the thought. "Sometimes when he didn't think I noticed, I saw him speaking into a radio." He paused and exclaimed, "Maybe they thought I was CIA or something, because I was looking into places where Derrick Storm would go!"

"Rick! Back to the story!"

"Oh, sorry Kate, anyway I got to meet the whole family and liked them. So whenever I went to Moscow, and I guess I went almost a dozen times over two years, I always asked for Pyotr and then his brother Paval. Even if he was KGB he was taking really good care of me and I just liked the family."

"And…?"

"And then the USSR was coming apart and there were all sorts of problems in Russia and one day I got a call from George at the front desk telling me there were some Russians here to see me."

"And Terry? Geez Rick, you're supposed to be a storyteller! Why do I have to drag everything out of you?"

"If you didn't keep interrupting…" Rick stopped as he saw the look in Kate's eyes and he decided it would be best if he just continued. "Terry's garages are all over the city, he had contracts with two taxi companies and also with the city to take care of their vehicles, so when Pyotr mentioned he thought he'd drive a cab I asked Terry to help him get a job. One thing led to another and about a year later I was invited to Yana and Terry's wedding. The rest is history."

Kate sighed and asked, "How did you even know Terry?"

"Oh, he was the best in the city to work on Lamborghini's."

"Lamborghini's? You have a Lamborghini?"

"Had. I got rid of it. They're no good in the city; they get buildup of carbon on the valves or something like that, because Terry was working on it at least once or twice a month as it kept breaking down."

"Ok, let me get this straight," Kate said. "Terry was your mechanic because your Lamborghini kept breaking down…"

"Carbon on the valves," Rick said, interrupting.

"Ah yes, carbon on the valves. And when Pyotr and his family came over you introduced them and a year later Terry and Yana were married."

"Yes."

"I guess shortly after that they started PYP and the rest is history."

"You got it!"

Kate was staring into Rick's eyes and asked, "How long did that take Alexis?"

"Almost forty-five minutes Kate."

Rick glared at Alexis and mouthed the word 'traitor' as Kate said, "They got married and had children, Dmitri looks a lot like his uncles, Tatiana looks like Yana and Ekaterina looks exactly like Terry, right down to the freckles."

"Yeah, and I love their Russian, Irish names too."

"Is this going to take another forty-five minutes?"

Giving Kate an affronted look, Rick quickly said, "Dmitri Eoin O'Mahoney, Tatiana Brighid O'Mahoney and Ekaterina Meaghan O'Mahoney."

"That explains the Russian, Irish connection with PYP then?" Kate asked.

"Russian, Irish and Italian," Rick replied.

"Italian?" Kate asked. "Oh right, Maria is Italian."

"Her grandparents live outside Florence in Tuscany. They came over to visit and Paval…"

Kate put up her hand to stop him and said, "Maybe some other time Rick." She pushed herself away from the table and said, "Dad? Alexis? Care to join me in the living room while Rick cleans up?"

"Me? Why do I have to clean up?"

"We cooked, so you clean Dad," Alexis said as she got up from the table.

Rick looked across the table and said, "Jim?"

"Sorry Rick, two against one, I have to do what the girls say." With a smile, he got up from the table and they all walked into the living room while Rick sat at the table and stared at the cups and dishes.

.

.

After a leisurely early afternoon, Kate and Rick dressed and then headed to the Old Haunt to meet their friends from the 12th. Rick originally thought to have Kate drive the Ferrari but since they took Jim home, Rick drove the Escalade and Kate was able to spend more time talking to her dad.

They left Jim's house with plenty of time to get to the Old Haunt and although they didn't speak much, the silence was consentual, as both were comfortable with each other. Rick was thinking about the party the day before but Kate was thinking of when she awoke this morning.

_The first of her senses to wake was her sense of smell as the coffee Rick brought her sat on the nightstand beside the bed. Next her eyes as she opened them to see Rick gazing lovingly at her. Before she could reach for the coffee and take a sip, she heard his soft voice say, "Good morning Sergeant."_

_She smiled as she looked up at him and quietly replied, "Good morning Rick," and after her first sip added, "I love you but it's still creepy."_

_Rick smiled and as his hand caressed her hair he said, "Better get used to it Kate. For the rest of our lives. For the rest of our lives." _

Rick looked over to see a soft smile on her face and said, "Penny for your thoughts."

Kate turned back to him with a big smile and said, "They're worth a whole lot more Rick, a whole lot more." She turned back to look out the window as they made their way through the city to the Old Haunt, and their friends.

When they arrived, they saw that Roy and Evelyn were already there with Kevin and Jenny. As Rick and Kate were saying hello, Javier and Lanie walked in and soon the group was enjoying some delicious appetizers, beer and laughter.

About half an hour into the party, Roy leaned down and brought up a photo album from a bag by his feet. Everyone's attention was riveted on him as Roy opened a page and then held up the album showing himself with Ryan, when Ryan first came to Homicide. "You look like a Leprechaun!" Rick exclaimed as everyone but Ryan laughed.

"Yeah, well it was my last day with Narcotics and I was working the St. Patrick's Day parade," Ryan replied. "The Captain wanted to see me and I came right away."

"One of the admirable traits I look for in my detectives," Roy said with a smile.

"Look at the mustache you had Roy," Kate said as Evelyn looked at the photo and added, "I never really liked that mustache." Looking up at Roy she said, "I like this one much better."

Roy smiled and gave Evelyn a quick kiss then flipped a few pages till he stopped and said, "If you think my mustache was something, look at this!" He turned the book around and there was Esposito with a heavy mustache and wearing a wool hat.

"Oh my goodness!" Jenny said, looking at the photo while Lanie laughed and said, "You look like Pancho Villa!"

"What on earth made you ever grow a mustache like that?" Kate asked as everyone kept staring at the photograph.

"I was working in Robbery and used to go undercover fencing what was supposed to be stolen items."

"How'd that work out for ya?" Ryan asked, "Cause you actually look like a cop who's trying to not look like a cop."

Esposito gave Ryan a look then turned back to the Captain as he went through a few more pages and then stopped. Without any emotion on his face he slowly turned the albumn around and they were looking at a photo of a young Kate, working for Vice, and dressed for the part of a street walker.

"Holy…" Esposito didn't get a chance to finish the phrase as Lanie nudged his shoulder with a bit more force than necessary. Ryan was looking at it with an almost shocked look on his face and Kate started to blush when she looked at Rick. His mouth was hanging open and he looked like he had never seen a woman before as he stared at her photo and softly said, "Wow."

"Rick?" She looked at him as he stared at the photo before he finally licked his lips, and never taking his eyes off her picture quietly said, "Uh, Kate? Do you think you might dre…" His thought was never finished as Kate quickly put her hand over his mouth, then turned to Montgomery and asked, "Could you turn the page please?"

As she slowly took her hand away from Rick's mouth, he smiled and said to Roy, "You wouldn't by any chance have a copy of that, would you?"

As nonchalantly as possible, Kate brought her arm up behind him before she smacked Rick on the back of his head with the palm of her hand. As everyone laughed and Rick pretended to be injured, he noticed a little gleam in Kate's eye and realized that she might just surprise him one day.

As Roy showed other photos Rick smiled, realizing he probably never will figure out his wife.

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Monday morning arrived faster than they expected. It was pouring buckets outside and traffic was moving at a snail's pace. Kate didn't even look at Rick when she said, "How could you turn off my alarm like that? This is my first full day as a Sergeant and I'm going to be late!"

Having had experience with an un-caffeinated Kate, Rick knew better than to answer. Whatever he said would be wrong. Kate turned to him and said, "Was there a reason why you turned off the coffee pot last night? The very least I could have had before we left was a cup of coffee."

Again, Rick's previous experience helped as he steadfastly refused to answer. As he looked out of the window, he saw they would be coming up to one of their favorite coffee shops and he asked Kate to slow down so he could get out and buy her a coffee.

"Slow down? Rick, we aren't moving at all…" Before she could finish the sentence, he quickly jumped out of the car and ran to the shop. A few minutes later he came out of the coffee shop to see Kate was only a few stores past, sitting at the light. He quickly ran to the car and got in before the light turned green and gallantly handed her a hot cup of coffee.

She grabbed it and took a sip, and as she did, Rick could see some of the stress fall off her shoulders. As she took the second sip, he opened up the bag in his hand and pulled out a warm bear claw.

Kate looked over and asked, "How am I expected to eat that while I'm driving with one hand and have a coffee in the other?"

Rick merely smiled and holding the bear claw in one hand, and holding his other hand under it, brought it to her mouth and said, "Take a bite."

She gave him an odd look but took a bite of the bear claw and he caught the few crumbs in his other hand. As she chewed he said, "Let me know when you want another bite."

Kate swallowed the bite, took another sip and said, "Another bite please." Rick once again brought the bear claw to her mouth and she took a bite. This continued as they drove to the precinct till Kate finished the bear claw just as they pulled into the parking garage. As Kate parked the car, Rick brushed off the crumbs into the empty bag and said, "See? Coffee, breakfast and you made it on time."

Kate turned to him and said with a sultry voice, "Sometimes you drive me absolutely crazy and then you go and do something so sweet." She leaned over and kissed him quickly before pulling away to open the door. As they walked to the elevator Rick said, "I will always be there for you Kate, even if it's just coffee and a bear claw."

Kate reached down and held his hand, squeezed it and said, "Sometimes Rick, you leave me without words."

As they stepped into the elevator Rick said, "Ok Sergeant, go show them how it's done."

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For the first two weeks, Kate never left the precinct. She spent most of her day with Sergeant Morrissey going over all that she needed to know, and trying to pick his brain for things he may have forgotten to tell her about without even realizing it. This left Esposito in charge of the team and Montgomery was looking at both detectives with an eye towards promotion. He never wanted to hold good officers back.

This left Rick in a quandary. He was not allowed to be with Kate unless it was lunch break, which she sometimes didn't take. This didn't stop him from bringing her lunch every day, however. He even managed to go out on a couple of cases to help the team, which made him feel that he was helping Kate by watching her boys. What he didn't know was that Kate had spoken to the two detectives and they were doing what they could to make sure Rick was always safe.

It wasn't that Kate didn't trust Esposito or Ryan to watch out for Rick, it was simply that she knew no one could look after him as well as she could. Lanie thought that was adorable as Rick felt the same way; no one could look after Kate as well as he could.

With all the change going on in the precinct, the fact that Paula had put out the statement that Rick and Kate were married passed over them completely. Other than a few more comments on the web page, Rick and Kate were so immersed in Kate's new position that they had no time to check the papers or entertainment news shows, but they were sure interested in Rick and Kate.

His books were flying off the shelf, a few hundred more fans joined the inner circle of the Castle web page, and Paula's phone was ringing off the hook for interviews, or more photos. The fact that Rick and Kate were married in the hospital after he saved her life made it all the more romantic and the fan letters for both Rick _and_ Kate were flowing into Blackpawn's office. It got so bad that there were a few days when Rick couldn't come into the precinct because of the outcry for more information from the press. Even Captain Montgomery was hearing from the Commissioner's office, as this was amazingly good press for the NYPD.

Kate was on her third week without going in the field, and although she was starting to feel too confined within the precinct walls, she also appreciated it as Rick was the one who had to handle the press; although the Captain did have her participate in one interview when the producers of an entertainment show went directly to the Mayor. It was also difficult when they went out, which wasn't often, as the press surrounded them at almost every turn, and if they managed to get past the press, the fans usually found them.

It was the Tuesday before Valentine's Day and Kate was sitting in the breakroom with Lanie waiting for lunch. Rick had volunteered to pick up lunch for Lanie as well as Kate, and Lanie wasn't about to turn down a free meal.

"So you and writer man have any plans for Valentine's Day?"

"We originally thought we'd spend a quiet night at home since I'm on call, but Paula somehow managed to convince me to go out with Rick, and that's what we'll be doing. How about you and Esposito, I know he's working that day but any plans for the evening?"

"Since he's working we won't be going anyplace fancy; we'll probably end up at Remy's just to get something to eat and then head back to my place, but…" Lanie paused a moment and asked, "Has he said anything to you about Valentine's Day?"

"No, why?"

"He's acting kind of weird like he's planning something."

"He hasn't mentioned anything to me, have you asked Ryan?"

"Yeah, and he just says Javi is on edge being lead detective and wanting to do everything right."

"Well there you are, it's just the job."

"Maybe…" Lanie's voice trailed off as Rick entered the breakroom with three big bags.

"Here you are ladies, lunch as advertised, free delivery and still hot." He put one bag down in front of Lanie and another in front of Kate and put the third down on the table by an empty chair.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked.

"I'm going to have lunch with my wife and our friend."

"No you're not, have you forgotten already?"

"You mean you're serious?"

Kate stared at him with the look that had broken the hardest of murderers and said, "Yes."

Rick gave a big sigh, picked up his bag and headed to the bullpen, looking for Esposito and Ryan. Seeing them, he headed over to eat his lunch as Lanie turned to Kate and asked, "What was that about?"

Opening her lunch bag Kate said, "Oh, smart man, he got my favorites," and started pulling out a double order of french fries, a large cheeseburger and strawberry shake.

"Kate?"

Kate put a french fry in her mouth and chewed in obvious delight before she said, "I officially still hate him today."

Lanie pulled out her own food and stopped when Kate spoke, "You officially hate him? Why?"

"Since we're going out for Valentine's Day, Martha decided I needed something new to wear so we went shopping on Saturday."

"Didn't he like what you bought?"

"He hasn't seen it yet," Kate replied before taking a bite of her cheeseburger. Her mouth full of deliciousness she said, "Ooo, and he even made sure there were pickles!"

"Kate, you are acting and speaking like you're still madly in love with him…"

"I am," Kate interrupted.

"So why do you hate him."

"Officially."

"Ok, so why do you officially hate him."

"Martha and I spent hours looking for a dress and shoes. I must have tried on dozens of dresses and as many shoes before we found ones that not only fit, but looked and felt good as well."

"So?"

"So Rick needed some new clothes and we went out on Sunday afternoon."

"And that's why you hate him? He got something nicer than you?"

"No, I hate him because we walked into the store, one of the fanciest men's stores I have ever been into, and after a few words with the tailor he walked over to the rack, found a pair of pants, tried them on and then bought them."

"Huh?"

"That's what I said! I asked how could he simply walk up and get a pair of pants that fit right away. I spend more time looking and trying on clothes because the sizes are all over the place."

"What did he say?"

"He said, and this is a quote, 'Just one of the joys of being a man Kate', unquote."

"Did you have your gun?"

"No."

"Lucky man. Do you think he knew you didn't have it when he said that?"

"Probably," Kate said as she took a sip of her shake.

"And that's why you hate him?"

"Partly. Then we walked down the street when he suddenly decided he needed a new pair of shoes, and we walked into another exclusive men's store. Five minutes later we walked out with the shoes!"

Lanie's mouth opened in shock, "Five minutes? That's all it took?"

"I know! Can you believe it? Right off the bat the shoes fit and feel good. I told him then and there that I now officially hated him."

"I think I hate him now too."

"He doesn't understand why, but when I told Martha and Alexis and they sided with me, he had to admit there must be a reason, even though he doesn't understand it."

"So how long are you going to punish him?"

"I'll let him off the hook for the rest of the week after dinner tonight. He's making lasagna for me, but the remainder of his punishment will fit the crime."

"And what's that?"

"Saturday he goes shopping with me for a new pair of pants and shoes."

Lanie grinned and raised her own shake in salute to Kate. As Kate raised hers in response, Lanie said, "Better than a gun."

"Damn right," Kate replied and they continued to enjoy their meal.

.

.

Monday was Valentine's Day and Kate was finally allowed to spend some time in the field as well as continue with her Sergeant training. The day was slow however and she was able to leave on time to go home and change.

At home as they showered and changed, Kate thought to give Rick his Valentine's Day card before they went out to eat. He had not only been patient the entire time they were shopping for her on Saturday, he was actually a big help. He held the clothes she wanted to try on, and gave his opinion whether they looked good on her or not, and he managed to make all the other women around jealous of her because _her_ husband was there shopping with her and helping her.

Plus he made her laugh. Looking for a chair he stated that it was in the 'Official Man Book of Instructions' that when shopping with his wife a man must find a chair to sit in. Kate had to hold back a giggle when a couple of men nearby heard Rick and solemnly nodded in agreement.

Before she touched up her makeup Kate handed him the envelope. "You got me a card?" he asked in delight.

"The first Valentine's Day card I've given since I was in high school," Kate replied.

She addressed the envelope 'To my wonderful husband'. He gave her a soft, loving smile, carefully opened it and pulled out the card.

The front read, 'February is the month for groundhogs and valentines,' along with the drawing of a groundhog and a valentine. He opened the card and read on the inside, '…which do you want to be?' and burst out laughing. He knew Kate wasn't really the kind to give sappy cards, but attached to the left side of the card by a slim strip of scotch tape, was a piece of paper cut into the shape of a heart and folded in half. He carefully removed it, unfolded it and read what she wrote. As he did, his eyes became shiny from the moisture he tried to keep inside.

It read, 'Magic exists. I can see it in a rainbow, the symmetry of a garden spider's web, the colors at Fall or the smell of newly mown hay. In the smile of a child or the kiss of a lover, it is at once tangible and ethereal; solid and vapor, action and thought.

Magic exists, and how do I know? Because there's you, and your promise of Always. Love, Kate.'

"Magic?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

"You're magic Rick, and you are all the magic I will ever need."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. As the kiss grew and she was wondering how they could cancel the dinner plans her phone stated to ring. Pulling away she muttered a brief prayer, "Not a body, please not a body."

Picking up the phone, she saw the caller was Esposito, "Beckett. Ok, where?" Grabbing a pen and pad from her nightstand she wrote down the address and said, "We'll be there in about half an hour."

Disconnecting the call, she turned to see Rick already on the phone with Paula. She sighed and put on clothes more suited for work and in less than five minutes, they were on their way to the crime scene.

.

.

"Remember when I was cursed by that Mummy?"

Kate rolled her eyes, "You were not cursed by the Mummy, _we_ pulled those pranks on you."

Rick nodded his head and said, "That's the point. They were not fun pranks; they were 'curse pranks' which you were forced to do by the Mummy."

"Castle, I took the screws out of your chair myself," Esposito said, as he and Ryan walked behind their lead detective and her partner slash husband.

Turning his head as they walked to the crime scene Rick said, "I repeat, that's the point. Kate would never have allowed you to do that if it weren't for the curse!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Kate said when he suddenly tripped over her foot and fell into her. "Castle! Keep your eyes in front of you and not on Esposito!" she said as she caught him before he fell to the sidewalk.

Straightening himself up Rick said to Kate, "See? Normally I either look ahead or at you, why else would I look at Esposito unless there was a curse?"

"Curse? What curse? Didn't that Mayan guy take the curse off you before he left?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah Castle," Esposito added. "You told us the curse was gone."

Rick sighed, "_That_ curse is gone, but I think there's a curse here."

As an officer lifted up the yellow tape to allow them all to pass through, Kate asked, "Here? What do you mean here? Right here at this crime scene or in the general area?"

"Here as in Lexington Avenue," Rick answered as if that should explain everything. He turned to the officer holding the tape and said, "Thanks Ortiz. How's Sarah doing by the way?"

Officer Ortiz smiled and said, "You're welcome Castle, and she's doing great now. The cast should come off next week."

Rick smiled, "Her arm must itch like crazy…oh, and don't forget to tell the doctor to be careful when he takes the cast off so she can keep it."

"Keep a cast Castle? Why?" Esposito asked as he ducked under the tape.

"Because I autographed it for her," Rick answered.

Kate smiled and said, "I think it's the flowers you drew under your name that she really likes Rick, after all she's only five."

Officer Ortiz smiled and said, "The doctor already knows and asked her if he could keep the cast. Sarah said she wanted it for herself."

Rick smiled smugly at that while Kate rolled her eyes and Esposito said, "Geez, you had to go and say that, didn't you?" just as Ryan nodded his thanks to Ortiz and the four walked over to the body.

Esposito arrived first as Perlmutter looked up and sarcastically said, "Glad you could make it."

As they stood over the body Ryan asked, "Hey Castle, what did you mean about a curse on Lexington Avenue?"

"Think about it. How many times do we have to come here for a murder? When you add them all up, we're here more times than any other street in the city."

Frowning in thought Ryan said, "You know, it's kinda weird but it makes sense."

Perlmutter looked up at Kate and said, "Did you _really_ have to bring him with you?" He then turned around and called out, "Alexis, would you please bring me the bag with the red stripes on it from the van?"

"Right away, Dr. Perlmutter."

A few seconds later Alexis arrived with the bag. As Perlmutter took the bag from her Rick started to say "Hi P…" but immediately stopped at the look he was getting from both Alexis and Kate. He really needed to find out when Alexis learned to glare at someone like that. Turning to Kate, he knew immediately where Alexis learned it.

Perlmutter ended the intimidation by saying "Thank you, Alexis. Now, do remember what we do next?"

As Alexis answered, explaining the proper procedure for fieldwork, Rick looked at her and was amazed at how great she was at her job. She made him so proud that he felt he could never hope to hold it all in! At that moment he felt Kate's pinky finger intertwine with his, and he knew she not only knew what he was feeling, she was feeling it too.

Ryan and Esposito however were looking at Perlmutter in shock. Over the years, they had never heard him be polite to anyone other than the lead detective, and then only grudgingly. To hear him speak to Alexis like that was something they never expected.

Kate cleared her throat and told Esposito to start checking the nearby businesses and Ryan to interview any possible witnesses. As they walked away, Rick called out, "Watch out for the curse!"

While Ryan and Esposito pretty much ignored him, Perlmutter turned to Alexis and asked, "Are you sure you're related to him?"

Alexis shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sometimes I wonder that myself."

Rick put his hand on his chest in mock outrage as Kate laughed. Taking his other arm she said, "Come on Rick. Let's do some work and let the ME's do their job."

As they walked away Alexis couldn't help but sigh. Somehow, despite all that happened in the past few years, her dad and Kate managed to not only find each other, but also fall in love and get married. Despite the 'wedding reception' that Yana put on for them, Alexis knew that Kate believed they owed their friends and family a real wedding, and she and Alexis were already making plans for the summer in the Hamptons.

Alexis smiled as she saw Kate's hand brush against her father's and their pinky fingers wrap around each other. Once again, she found herself thinking how cute they were together, how _right_ they seemed. Grams once told her that her dad was looking for his 'Forever' but never thought it was possible. Looking at them as they bantered back and forth, pinkies still clinging together, Alexis knew that 'Forever' _was_ possible. It was happening right in front of her.

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finis

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**AUTHORS NOTE: In the immortal words of Porky Pig, 'Th, th, th, th, th, th, that's all folks!' Well perhaps not totally, since I have so many little scenes that I've written for this story and never used, I may add an epilog or two…or three, but that will be some time down the road, since the show is doing a much better job of them being together than I could ever write.**

**One special thank you goes out to Lisa. You know who you are and without you and your help in the beginning, this story would never have seen the light of day. **

**Another special thanks goes to my lovely bride. She has proof read all my chapters and corrected my mistakes. Honestly, I _was_ an English major in college; I have the paper to prove it! She is the magic in my life.**

**I have "met" many people from all over the world because of this story, and I want to thank each and every one of you who read and reviewed. You have no idea how much you are appreciated. Thank you for sticking with me on this journey of Kate's growth and Rick's changes, I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did. RG **


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